Second Chance Love: Salim Al Kupar
by Seiya-Serena-fan18
Summary: Sly's adopted sister, Salira Panthera, escapes her obsessive ex-fiance, but not in the way she wanted. A horror from her and Sly's past returns and kidnaps Salira, taking her to Ancient Arabia where she meets the grouchy Arabian Cooper himself. Join Salira in her adventure as she fights for a way to return home to her family no matter what and finds love along the way.
1. Chapter 1

_Salam and good day my fine readers! I give to you, Salim Al Kupar's story. It took me a while but I finally came up with a story that I really think you will like. I will be a bit busy so it will take a little while for me to post chapters, but I will do my best to get them written and posted for all of you lovely readers to enjoy._

 _I don't own Sly Cooper or any of the known characters or game scenes. I take credit for the scenes before the game and any unfamiliar characters._

 _Read, Review, Enjoy!_

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(Sly Cooper POV)

It was another peaceful night in Paris, France. I was spending a wonderful night in the new museum with the lovely Inspector Carmelita Fox and my dearest sister, Salira Panthera. As I was talking with Carmelita, I kept my eye on the Arabian Leopard as she talked with a male wolf, named Greyson. Ever since Salira ended her engagement with one, Cyrille Le Paradox, Carmelita has been trying to play matchmaker. While I appreciate that Carmelita is looking after my sister, I don't feel comfortable seeing Salira with different men every other night. Salira isn't really my sister. My parents took her in after her mother and father died when she was barely a year old. I can still remember the first day she came into my life.

(Flashback: 20 years ago)

 _I was asleep in my bed until suddenly, I heard my mother crying. I crept out of bed to the middle of the stairs and saw my mom looking at a baby leopard in my dad's arms._

" _Is that little Salira?" My mother asked with paws covering her mouth and tears in her eyes._

" _Yes, dear." Father answered. I looked closely at the leopard. She looked pretty even though she was asleep. Her pale white tail popped out of her blanket and was twitching. Looked like she was dreaming._

" _But what happened?" Mom asked. Dad looked caringly at the baby and then sadly at mom._

" _Clockwerk! I managed to get Salira away before he got to her. Unfortunately, her parents didn't survive the attack." Mom gasped and then took the baby in her arms as she stirred and then began to cry. The sound and sight of her tears tugged at my heart in a way I never knew. I then walked down the stairs as mom soothed Salira._

" _Sly? What are you doing awake, son?" Dad asked. I didn't answer as I looked at the baby leopard in mom's arms. She smiled and brought Salira closer so I could see her closely. Salira opened her eyes at me and I saw that they looked like big sapphires, like the ones in my dad's treasure. I placed my paw on her tummy and tickled her. She giggled cutely and grabbed my finger as I tickled her and began purring. I smiled at her and then looked at mom._

" _Who is she, mama?" I asked. She was about to answer, but Dad beat her to it._

" _Sly, she is your new sister!" He said. Mom gasped and then smiled at him, same with me. I always wanted a sister and now I have one. I ran to Dad and hugged his legs in joy. Dad smiled and wrapped his arms around all of us. We became one big happy family._

 _(Present time)_

From that day on, Salira was my sister and I did everything to protect her and made sure she stayed with me. After Clockwerk caught up with my mom and my dad, Salira and I were thrown into the local orphanage, where we met our best friends and lifetime crew: Bentley the brains and Murray the brawns. Curiously, I remember Clockwerk interrogating my dad, wanting to know where the brat he stole from him was. I instantly knew that he was talking about Salira. What he wanted with her was beyond me, but I was not going to let her fall into the talons of that monster. It wasn't until the whole business with Clock-la that I found out that Salira's blood was a key to Clockwerk's immortality. I had to stop Clock-la from killing Salira, not only to protect her, but to stop Clock-la from becoming immortal. From that day on, I kept Salira at my side and never let her out of my site. It took some convincing, but I allowed Salira to come on all of our adventures. The latest being the Cooper Vault Caper.

It turned out, that Salira's mother was my dad's partner in crime and the same with her ancestors and so the Coopers shared the vault with the Panthera family. Dr. M was about to kill Carmelita if it hadn't been for me and Salira. Salira jumped into Dr. M's line of fire to protect Carmelita and I followed her to stop her but ended up getting hit. After Carmelita and Salira band together to defeat Dr. M, I began to pretend that I had amnesia. Instead of telling me what I knew, Carmelita told me that Salira and I were her partners and we escaped the vault before it came down. Since then, Salira and I stayed with Carmelita and enjoyed life on the other side of the law.

Salira met Cyrille Le Paradox and was about to marry him. But I saw that he changed Salira and she was not happy so she ended it with him. I knew that Le Paradox never moved on from Salira, because he always found ways to approach her and try to woo her. In fact, I saw Greyson kiss Salira's paw and walked off to get her a drink. Shortly after, Le Paradox quickly approached Salira and began talking to her. I saw she was getting angry so I addressed Carmelita and we walked closer to the two, in case something happened.

"Greetings _mademoiselle,_ I do hope you are having a wonderful time." Le Paradox said. I saw Salira roll her eyes and sent a fake smile to him.

"Yes, I am. Thank you Cyrille, the new treasure and exhibits are amazing." She said, while sending a look my way that said "help me".

"Yes, they are ok, but the finest treasure in the world is standing beside me." He said shrugging and kissed her paw. She quickly pulled away and wiped his kiss off her paw.

"Cyrille, how many times must I tell you to stop? We have been over for 3 months and I have no intention of trying again with you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date to get back to." She said before turning away to walk off. Le Paradox growled and grabbed her arm, making my blood boil at the way my sister was being treated.

"Technically my dear, I never agreed to the termination of our engagement, so you are still mine!" Le Paradox snapped. I saw that he had a tight grip on her arm as she struggled to get away.

"Let go!" She shouted. That's it, I've had enough! I stormed away from Carmelita and pulled Salira out of Le Paradox's grasp and into my arms. Her body was shaking and that made me angrier.

"You have no business here, Cooper! I was simply conversing with my fiancé." Le Paradox stated after gathering his composure.

"If I remember correctly, my sister dumped you because you were changing her into something she's not!" I growled out as I soothed the trembling feline in my arms.

"I was merely forming her into the lady she was meant to be, meaning she was meant to be mine! And she will be, whether she wants to or not!" Le Paradox snapped before taking a step towards Salira. That was when Carmelita and Greyson stepped in.

"Is there a problem here?" Carmelita said as they both pulled out their Interpol badges. Le Paradox froze, quickly stepped back and held his paws up, showing he meant no harm. Salira rolled her eyes before snuggling into my chest as I stroked the exposed fur on her back to keep her calm.

"No trouble at all, Inspector Fox and Constable Wolf. I was just simply having a conversation with my fiancé." He explained. Carmelita's eyes narrowed as she stood in front of me, shielding Salira from the skunk's sight.

"I know that what you say is not true, Salira ended the engagement! I have warned you to stay away from her countless times. And now I hear that you are going to force her, well that is not going to happen. I am putting a restraining order in against you first thing tomorrow!" Carmelita said as she glared at Le Paradox who was gaping.

"You can't do that!" He snapped at her.

"I can and I will. The next time I see you with in 50 ft of Salira, I will have you thrown behind bars! Do I make myself clear?" Carmelita warned. Le Paradox just glared at her and then sneered at my direction as Salira pulled away.

"Fine, But this is not over!" he said as he stormed away from us. No one else but me heard him mutter "A stupid restraining order will not stop me from getting what I want, that feline will be mine!" I narrowed my eyes at his threat. No way in hell, was I going to let my sister fall into that filthy weasel's clutches. I looked over to her, only to see her and Greyson looking back at the Arabian jewels she was looking at before, but this time, she had a look in her eyes that I know all too well.

 _Oh no_ , was what I was thinking as I walked away from Carmelita and over to the two of them.

"Greyson, can I talk to Salira alone?" I asked. He nodded and then went over to talk to Carmelita.

"Sal, are you ok?" I asked using my nickname for her. She sighed and looked at me with a sad smile.

"I'm fine, I'd be even better if that Le Paradox left me alone! I don't know what I was thinking when I got together with him!" She huffed before turning towards the jewels. I smiled at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Hey, we all make mistakes. It's just a good thing that you broke it off with him before he tied you down." I told her and kissed the side of her head. I looked over and saw that thieving glint in her eyes.

"You know, these jewels are so beautiful! Don't you think they should be with someone else than Le Paradox?" She asked. I sighed and looked around to make sure Carmelita or Greyson wasn't listening in on us. Seeing it was safe, I turned Salira to face me by grabbing her shoulders gently.

"Salira Panthera Cooper, I know that look. Don't even think about it! We chose to stop thieving and enjoy life without cops on our tails." I told her. She sighed and looked up at me.

"I know, Sly. But it's so hard! Every time I see something, that itch comes back telling me to pull a heist. And don't you dare lie to me and tell me that you haven't gotten that urge!" Salira said, folding her arms. I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck.

"You're right as always, Sal. That itch is getting very hard to ignore and I think Carmelita is starting to notice." _Sigh_ "Alright, just one heist! Find a criminal and don't get caught!" I caved in, knowing I could never say no to her. She squealed with delight, hugged me tightly and kissed my cheek. I hoped I made the right decision, but I would do anything to make her happy.

"Don't worry Sly, I'm a master thief like you. I only steal from other criminals, you know that." She said. I chuckled as we made our way back over to Carmelita. Greyson said good night and left while I was talking to Salira. Carmelita was bummed out that Greyson wasn't interested in Salira and as usual, She convinced Carmelita that it was ok. Salira is one to believe in true love and soul mates, so I know that she is waiting on her soul mate, wherever he is. I just hope that this soul mate of hers doesn't force us to separate. We all walked back to Carmelita's condo, not knowing an evil force is watching us that could separate the only family I have left from me.

* * *

(? POV)

I watch on the Eiffel Tower as my target walks with a female fox and a male raccoon that looks extremely familiar. Quietly flying over them, I discover that the raccoon was a wretched COOPER! OH HOW I HATE THAT CLAN OF FILTHY RACCOONS! For millennia I have hunted down every single cooper and took their pathetic lives, but they always manage to spawn new coopers before I could track them down. But not this time! No, I have always had the ability to time travel but never used it until now. I found Salim Al Kupar's friend who was an oracle and forced her to tell me the location of Cooper's true mate. After telling me out of fear, she escaped me and I ignored her. Now here I am, watching and waiting for the opportune moment to strike. It will be so delicious to just taste the fear as I attack Cooper's mate. And it will be even better as I take her life in front of him. He will be begging me for death when I am through. My target freezes in her step before turning to look in my direction, barely missing me as I hid from her. I can literally taste the fear rolling off of her and it feels so delicious.

"Salira, are you ok?" The young cooper asks. I can see her heartbeat racing against her chest as she catches her breath.

"I thought I saw something! And I can feel that someone or something is watching me, something horrible." She says, her voice trembling with fear. She will never know true fear until she encounters me! The young cooper wraps an arm around her as if to shield her from me, ha!

"Come on, let's get home." The female fox said. My target, Salira, nodded and walked under the young cooper's arm into a house and disappeared from my sight. I laughed as I flew away, knowing that the young leopard already fears me.

"Soon little kitty, soon you will have a reason to fear me. You will be in my talons and not even your precious Cooper will be able to save you!" I said as I went back to the Eiffel Tower, planning my attack with sheer glee.

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(Salira POV)

I took a deep sigh in relief as I made it inside. Who or whatever was watching me terrified me. I certainly hope it wasn't who I thought it was. I wasn't going to tell Sly, I didn't want to worry him. I am just going to keep this to myself and pray that it was merely my imagination. Carmelita, or Lita is what I call her, handed me a cup of hot tea and I took it with a smile and sat down on the couch.

"Salira, are you alright? You looked really spooked earlier." She asked as she and Sly sat on either side of me and Sly rubbed my back.

"I'm fine, Lita. I just had this horrible feeling in my heart that something was watching me and it frightens me in a way I haven't felt for years, since…" I didn't finish but Sly understood and took me in his arms.

"You don't have to worry about that, Clockwerk is dead and never coming back! Carmelita made sure of that, remember?" Sly asked. I nodded. I remember that day well. Clock-la knew that she needed to drink my blood in order to begin her immortality. If it hadn't been for Carmelita, then I would be dead and Clock-la would've lived.

"I never did thank you for saving my life that day, Lita." I said, she just laughed and held her hand up.

"No worries, I am just glad that mechanical monster is gone!" Carmelita exclaimed. I nodded my head. The moment was ruined when my ass of a brother opened his mouth.

"Or is he?!" He said eerily. Lita and I glared at him before smashing him with the pillows on Lita's couch. He tried and failed at protecting himself from our wrath and ran from us as we shouted at him.

"GET BACK HERE COOPER!" Lita shouted.

"I'LL KILL YOU SLY COOPER!" I screamed as he hid from us. As we searched for him, he snuck up behind us and wrapped us in his arms. We all fell to the floor in a laughing fit. Sly pulled us up from the ground and wrapped me in a hug.

"Don't worry, Salira. If someone or something is watching you, I won't let them even touch you." Sly said. Lita rubbed my back as I hugged my brother.

"Same here Salira, they will meet my shock pistol before they get to you!" She said, causing me and Sly to laugh.

"You and your shock pistol, Lita!" I said as Sly and I laughed at her as she scowled and crossed her arms. I shook my head and hugged her and Sly wrapped his arms around us.

"Thank you, guys. I don't know what I would do without you." I said. Sly pulled me into a hug.

"Feeling's mutual! You're my sister and I would do anything and everything for you." Sly said and Lita nodded in agreement.

"I love you guys." I said with a smile before yawning, causing Sly to chuckle.

"I think it is time that we all go to bed and get some sleep, especially you missy!" He said as he ruffled my hair. I groaned and swatted his paws away.

"Stop that! You know I hate that and I'm not a little kitten anymore!" I growled out, causing Sly to laugh.

"True, but you are my little sister, so it is within my right." I rolled my eyes at him and made my way to my bedroom.

"By adoption!" I said as I entered my room.

"Doesn't matter!" Sly said. I laughed along with Lita.

"Good night, Sly! Good night, Lita!" I said as Sly and Carmelita went into their room.

" _Buenos Noches!"_ Lita said speaking in her Spanish tongue.

"'Night sis!" Sly said before I closed my door. As I changed into my night gown, that terrifying feeling swept over me again and I spun quickly around and shrieked as I saw that horrible and familiar pair of yellow eyes before he disappeared from my sight.

"SALIRA?!" Sly yelled before slamming the door open. I stood there, frozen, staring out the window until Sly pulled me into his arms and I reached out for Lita's arm as she walked to the window to investigate. She came back to us shaking her head.

"I don't see anything, Salira. What happened?" Lita said as Sly tried and failed at calming me down. Nothing can calm me down after what I just saw.

"I saw him. He was right there, that metallic frame; those horrible yellow eyes filled with evil and hate. He just looked at me and flew off!" I said as I cried into Sly's chest.

"What? Clockwerk?! But he's dead! We all saw his body deteriorate when Carmelita smashed his hate chip!" Sly said. I felt his body start to tremble against my trembling body. He feared and hated Clockwerk as much as I did.

"It must've been your imagination, Salira." Lita said. I glared at her when she said that.

"I know what I saw, Carmelita." I snapped at her and snuggled back into Sly's chest as he hushed me. He looked over at Lita with a worried look.

"I don't think we should rule this out, Carmelita. If all of our adventures have taught us something, it's anything is possible." I sighed as I finally calmed down. Carmelita tried to pull me away from Sly, but I wouldn't let go. Sly sighed and looked at her.

"I'm going to stay with her tonight, she needs me." Sly said. Carmelita nodded and kissed his cheek before saying goodnight and returning to her room. Sly led me over to my bed and I lied down with Sly following. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest as I continued to shake in fear. I feel his claws stroking my fur, soothing me so I can try to sleep.

"You believe me, don't you Sly?" I asked as I looked up into his eyes. He smiled softly and kissed my forehead.

"Of course I do, you've never told a lie before. And like I said before, anything is possible." Sly said.

"But what if it was Clockwerk?" I asked, my voice trembling with fear.

"If he somehow found a way to come back, I will dismantle him again before he ever touches you! You are the only family I have left and I will kill anyone or anything that tries to harm you!" Sly swore while tightening his embrace. I smiled and snuggled into his chest.

"I love you, Sly. Promise you will never leave me." I said as I fell asleep after I hear him say "I promise".

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 _Uh oh! Looks like an evil foe has returned and this time, not after a Cooper! What will happen when he attacks and what does he have planned for our Salira? Stay tuned and review if you want to see what happens. I will try and post another chapter as soon as I can. 'Til next time!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Salam and good day, my fine readers! I bring to you another chapter to our adventure. I hope it is to your liking._

 _I don't own Sly Cooper or any of the known characters and game scenes. I will only take credit for the creation of Salira Panthera. All reviews and PM's are most welcome, but NO FLAMES or I will douse you with a firehose, LOL!_

 _Read, Review, Enjoy!_

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(Salim POV)

My brothers and I returned to our humble abode after a rather marvelous night of thieving. We gathered much loot today to add to our treasure. I joined the 40 thieves after my mother was killed by an evil owl that looked to be made out of metal armor. I looked around for information on this creature and discovered that this was Clockwerk. An evil menace that has hated the Cooper Clan and vowed to wipe us all out, and unfortunately, I was next in line. I knew this because Clockwerk has been spying on me for the past 3 years and he recently attacked me, but I was way too fast for him and always got away from him. I could tell that I was starting to make him extremely mad, and possibly hate me more than possible. In fact, I just slipped away from the 40 thieves when I noticed Clockwerk swooping down towards me. I leaped away from his talons as he cawed and hooted in anger.

"SOMEDAY, I WILL GET YOU, COOPER! MARK MY WORDS, COOPER, I WILL KILL YOU!" He shouted as he flew right in front of me.

"Why don't you give up? You can never catch me, you foolish bird!" I taunted him, causing his eyes to glow an even brighter yellow, and I could see all the hatred for me in my family within those eyes.

"NEVER! I WILL FIND YOUR WEAKNESS AND I WILL USE IT AGAINST YOU! WE WILL MEET AGAIN, COOPER!" He shouted as he flew off.

I shook my head at his warning. There is no way he will find my weakness as a hateful creature like him will never understand the source of my weakness, love. The only thing that would make me allow that monster to kill me is if he threatened my soul mate's life. I haven't found her yet, but I can feel that soon I will. Every Cooper, ever born is given one soul mate in their entire lifetime. When the Cooper comes of age, he or she begins dreaming of their Cooper Mate until they meet. Then, an unbreakable bond forms the moment the Cooper and their mate locks eyes. After I joined the 40 thieves, I began having dreams of a beautiful Arabian leopard with the bluest of sapphire eyes. I knew instantly that this glorious feline was my Cooper Mate. Ever since that first dream, I have searched for her, but no success. Then I concluded that I must be patient, for she would come to me. And once she does, I shall shield her from all harm and evil while show her what true love is. I only pray that Clockwerk never finds out about her and catches her in his talons. I would never forgive myself if she was put in danger because of me. I took a deep breath and returned to our cave, wishing in my mind that I would find my mate soon.

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(Salira POV)

It's been a few months since Clockwerk suddenly appeared and scared the living daylights out of me. It made me afraid to go out at night, but I wasn't going to let him ruin my life. If that bird is really back, then I will fight him and keep him away from Sly. I am terrified of him, but that's not going to stop me from protecting my family and living my life. On top of all that, I have a soul mate to find, and not even Clockwerk is going to stop me from finding the one person my heart belongs to. It's also been a few months since Sly let me find a criminal to steal from in a tiny heist and I found exactly what I was looking for.

It took me this long with a lot of research, but I discovered that a certain ex-fiancé of mine is dealing treasures in the black market. In fact, to prove my theory, I "borrowed" Sly's binoculars and spied on him. That night, I saw a bunch of his lackeys carrying stolen treasure into the museum he just opened. He claims to be a law-abiding art collector, but I know better. He's been stealing treasure from the true discoverers and that was not right with me. I think I will teach him a lesson by stealing those Arabian Desert jewels I've had my eye on. As I slipped into my thieving outfit, Sly gave me a mic and ear piece, so he can keep in touch with me. Ever since I told Sly about seeing Clockwerk, he's gotten paranoid about my safety and never let me out of his sight. It took some convincing, but I made him stick to his promise and let me go on one last heist. I smiled at him before slipping out into the night.

I made it to the museum and saw that the security was tight. Sly borrowed Bentley's computer to watch my progress and try to help me out while Carmelita was working on a case. I knew that he wouldn't be as good as Bentley, but he'd be pretty close.

"The security looks really tight, Salira." Sly said. I nodded as I looked for a way around the guards. I then noticed some poles I could climb on.

"No problem, Sly. I'll just climb my way around those guards. Just show me the way to those Arabian Jewels and I'll do the rest." I said, as I sneaked behind the guard with a flashlight and climbed up the pole. I was so thankful I was born a cat. I heard Sly laugh through my earpiece.

"What is with you and all things Arabian? You're an Arabian Leopard; you've been constantly reading '1001 Arabian Nights'; and now you are after Le Paradox's jewels!" He teased. I shook my head and kept climbing.

"Hey, that's my favorite story, fyi!" I snapped quietly so the guards didn't hear me. Sly just chuckled.

"I know; you used to beg dad to read it to you every night and then me. But you haven't read it in a long time, up until a few years ago. It's the only book I see you read!" Sly threw back at me. I sighed as I pickpocketed a guard who had a bunch of coins and a gold watch in his pocket before getting rid of him.

"I don't know why I so into all things Arabian, Sly. But when I think of Arabian things, I feel connected to something. It's weird and I can't get rid of that feeling." I said as I reached a dead end.

"We'll just have to look into it later. Ok, I reached out to Bentley and he got me the blueprints to the museum. There should be vent in the wall. If you follow it, you'll be right above your target."

"Copy that, brother. I'm going in!" I said as I kicked a hole in the vent, big enough for me to crawl through. Just as I entered the vent, I heard a familiar and heart-stopping caw of a bird; then froze in the vent.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Sly exclaimed causing me to bump my head.

"You heard that?" I said with my voice trembling as I rubbed the sore spot on my head.

"I sure did. Get out of there and get home, now!" Sly demanded. I shook my head, not only to get rid of the headache, but also to disagree with Sly.

"I can't Sly, I've got to finish this, and then I will head back." I said before taking a deep breath and moved forward through the air vent. After navigating down the vents, I finally reached an opening. Down below were my jewels. Quietly busting through the vent without it falling, I pulled the cover into the vent and jumped down, landing quietly next to the glass case. Surprisingly, I managed to avoid the lasers. Bringing out one of my claws, I carved a circle in the glass and pushed it to make a hole in the glass.

"Come to mama!" I said as I scooped the jewels into the bag and then left my calling card, a leopard paw print card, before jumping back up into the vents, just as the alarm was going off. I slipped out of sight just as Le Paradox and his guards rushed into the room. I laughed quietly along with Sly as we listened to him swearing in French and throw a tantrum. Good thing he didn't know it was me by my card or I would be in trouble. I shook my head and smiled as I made my way out of the museum and on to the streets without being noticed.

"Great job, sis. And Le Paradox's reaction was priceless!" Sly complimented as he laughed. I walked back to the condo.

"I agree, I'm on my…" I began but stopped when that terrifying feeling swept over me; causing me to freeze and turn around very slowly and instantly wishing I didn't. My heart raced with fear as I was met with the source of my nightmares, the mechanical, monstrous, vile owl, Clockwerk.

"Salira? Salira, are you alright?" Sly asked. I didn't answer him as I was frozen in terror. Clockwerk must've sensed my fear as he began to laugh evilly.

" _HAHAHA! Salira Panthera, how delightful it is to find you all alone and without the young Cooper!"_ He said. I heard Sly gasp and then disconnected. I shook my head and glared at the bird.

"Leave him alone, I won't let you kill him!" I warned as I backed away from him. He just simply laughed again.

" _Foolish feline, It's not Cooper I'm after this time. It is you!"_ He roared out before swooping down. I screamed before moving out of the way and ran for my life. Clockwerk began cawing and hooting as he chased after me. I knew I couldn't outrun him, but I could try to get away from him. I shouted in pain as he hit me with one of his lasers, but kept running until I heard a voice that made my blood go cold.

"SALIRA!" I looked to see my brother running towards me. Clockwerk swooped down and smacked Sly away from me with his metal wings.

" _STAY OUT OF THIS COOPER! BE THANKFUL IT'S NOT YOU I'M AFTER!"_ He shouted before swooping down for me again, this time grabbing me but he lost his grip and I tumbled painfully onto the concrete with a shout. I quickly picked myself up and continued to run away from that monstrosity.

"SALIRA, LOOK OUT!" I heard Sly shouted to me. I turned to see Clockwerk gaining on me and I evaded his talons; resulting in them tearing up the concrete. I picked up my speed as Sly ran towards me.

"COME ON, HURRY SAL!" I could hear the sound of the metallic wings getting closer and fast as I ran as fast as I could. I saw fear in Sly's eyes as he tried to reach out to me.

"NO, NO SALIRA, NOOOOOOO!" He yelled and just before he could reach me, Clockwerk finally grabbed me by the arms and lifted me into the air as he began to fly off with me captive.

"SALIRA!" Sly shouted. I saw him grab on to the tail feathers and tried to climb up, but then Clockwerk turned his head and fired a laser, hitting him directly and causing him to fall off.

"SLYYYYYYYY!" I shouted as my brother fell to the ground. He quickly picked himself up and ran after us. But it was no use as Clockwerk flew higher and higher. Suddenly, I felt like I was being sucked down some kind of tube and my brother disappeared from sight. Losing sight of my brother, the tears, built from fear and now from heartache, began to fall down my face as Clockwerk's talons grasped my arms painfully.

Soon, I was blinded by the brightness of the sun and I couldn't see where we were. I began struggling angrily against the talons that held me.

"LET ME GO, CLOCKWERK!" I shouted. Clockwerk looked down at me with his hateful, yellow, glowing eyes and then laughed darkly.

"Suit yourself!" He said. Suddenly he released me at a terrifying height. I screamed as I fell from the sky. I landed hard and painfully on the hot sand in what appeared to be a desert. I slowly picked myself and looked around. Clockwerk was nowhere to be seen. It didn't make sense. If he didn't want to kill me, then why was he after me? I questioned this as I slowly made my way through the desert. The sun was beating on my, quickly burning, back and I felt so weak. Having no more energy, I collapsed on the burning sand. Just before I passed out, I could make out the silhouettes of several men as they surrounded me. The last thing I saw were a pair piercing brown eyes, before I slipped into darkness.

* * *

(Salim POV)

My brothers and I were surrounding the female that just collapsed onto the burning sand, most likely from the heat and exhaustion. We were all curious as to whom this young lady was, but she felt familiar to me, as if I know her. She was laying on her front with her face in the sand. The lion flipped her over and I gasped at the sight revealed to me. She was a white, Arabian Leopard with black hair. Just by looking at her caused my heart to skip a beat. She was absolutely beautiful despite all the injuries and talon marks on her body. I froze when I saw the marks, _TALON MARKS?!_ I knew those marks very well, as they came from the very monster that killed my mother and aims to kill me now. Whoever this young lady is, Clockwerk must've brought her here. The question is why. I knelt down beside her and stroked her cheek. She began to stir and her eyes cracked open and looked at me. Those eyes, I knew them all too well. They were the eyes I have been dreaming of.

"My mate," I whispered as I picked her up after she fell unconscious again. My brothers gasped in shock, knowing that I have searched for my Cooper Mate for the longest time. Some of them, believed I would never find her as we have searched everywhere for her. To have her in my arms was something I have longed for, for so long. But then, I realized that my greatest fear has been realized, Clockwerk found my mate and brought her here from wherever she came from. I noticed how weak she was as I lifted her into my arms and turned towards my brothers.

"Let's get her to our lair, quickly!" I exclaimed as I summoned my magic carpet and flew back to the lair, praying to Allah that I could save her in time, and that she would accept me and let me love her the way she deserves.

* * *

(Sly POV)

My heart stopped beating as I watched Clockwerk disappear with Salira in his talons. I couldn't believe what just happened! Clockwerk was back and was not after me, but my sister who wasn't even a true Cooper! The crushing feeling of failure flooded my body as I fell to my knees in despair. I promised Dad that if anything happened, I would protect Salira with my life, and I failed! I didn't even notice all the police cars arriving in the area at the same time, as I lifted my head and screamed out in anger and heartache.

"SALIRA!" I then fell to my hands and knees as the tears, that burned my eyes, began fall. I didn't even notice Carmelita rush towards me.

"Sly, what happened here? Where is Salira?" Carmelita asked as she rubbed my back.

"Clockwerk" Was all I said to her. I felt her freeze at the name but then knelt down in front of me.

"What did you just say?" She asked. I shook my head and stood up shakily as Carmelita supported me.

"Clockwerk! He attacked and took Salira. I tried to stop him, but he zapped me and vanished with her!" I finished, my voice trembling at the crushing reality. My sister was in clutches of that maniacal monster and who knows what he is doing to her, all because I couldn't protect her! My eyes snapped open at the sound of laughter and saw that Carmelita's team was laughing, as if what I just said was a joke. I growled and pulled away from Carmelita.

"WHAT IS SO FUNNY?!" I snapped at the cops.

"Listen Cooper, we all know that Clockwerk has been destroyed for 5 years, and things don't just disappear into thin air. Are you sure she's not playing a trick? Salira Panthera is known to be very mischievious." One cop said. I narrowed my eyes at him and my anger grew as the cops messed around, as though Salira was just playing Hide and Seek and the cops were it. I snarled and stormed towards the team. I would've punched one of them if Carmelita and Captain Wolf didn't pull me back.

"LISTEN, YOU PIGS! MY SISTER WOULD NEVER PLAY A TRICK LIKE THIS ON ME! I SAW THAT MONSTER MYSELF AS HE PERSUED HER, AND I HAVE THE BURN MARKS FROM HIS LASER TO PROVE IT! DON'T YOU DARE INSULT MY SISTER BY ACTING LIKE SHE'S PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK!" I shouted as I tried to break Carmelita's and the Captain's grasp on my arms.

"But…" the one cop began before Carmelita finally put her foot down.

"Not another word, officer! Team, we cannot rule anything out. Clockwerk may have been destroyed, but that doesn't mean he's not found a way to return. He's done it before and he'd most likely do it again. Plus, Sly is right; Salira may be a playful leopard, but she would not scare her adopted brother like this. Something is wrong, and we must get to the bottom of this. No one is to make another smart comment about Salira Panthera or they will answer to me, is that understood?" Carmelita said, going into full inspector mode.

"YES INSPECTOR!" They all shouted at the same time. Carmelita led me to her car and then ordered a crime scene to be opened and to have red alert missing person to be put up for Salira. I didn't pay attention as Carmelita returned and drove us back to her Condo.

As soon as she parked, I rushed out of the car and up to Salira's room. It was as if I was hoping that this was just a horrible nightmare and Salira made it back to her room after her heist. But reality came crashing down as I looked around the empty room. I walked over and sat down on the bed and picked up the picture she kept on her nightstand. We were playing Hide and Seek back at the orphanage and she managed to jump on my back and kissed my cheek before I fell face first into the grass. Bentley managed to get a picture of it and Murray laughed so hard he fell into the pond. I was so embarrassed that I begged Bentley to delete it, but Salira asked Bentley to print it out and let her frame it. I smiled at the memory that came with the photo. It was embarrassing but it was one of my favorite memories. As I stared at the picture, my heartache grew and tears began pouring out of my eyes once more, as I plopped down onto the pillow. Clutching the picture to my chest; as though I was clutching Salira to me, I cried myself to sleep, not even noticing Carmelita watching.

* * *

(Carmelita POV)

When Sly didn't come to bed, I went over to Salira's room and saw that he fell asleep on her bed holding a picture frame. Sadly, I noticed his fur was soaked in tears. I felt terrible for Sly, Salira was the only family he had and she's gone. I was skeptical at Sly's story, but I believed him after seeing the destroyed street and the fact that some metal was found on the street. I sighed sadly as I carefully pried the picture frame out of his grasp and covered him with the blanket. I then looked at the picture. The raccoon and the leopard in the photo looked so happy, that it was heart wrenching to see what is happening now.

Every time I chased Sly and Salira, they always had a smile on their faces. I knew that it was because they were together and doing what they did best, stealing and pissing me off! They were the only ones that knew what ticks me off and they played with it, every time I see them. Looking back at the pained look on Sly's face as he slept and then back at the photo, I made a promise.

"Sly, I promise, until there is not a breath in my body, I will help you find Salira! I never want to see you in so much pain again!" I vowed quietly as I placed the photo back on the nightstand. I then kissed Sly's cheek as he snuggled into Salira's bed. I sighed, sadly, and went to my bed. Unknowingly, a tear fell from my eye and I quickly wiped it away. _Salira is my friend and I will do whatever it takes to get her back to Sly and make sure she is safe,_ was my last thought as I fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

 _Behold, Salira has met Salim and the mating bond has been formed. But what is Clockwerk up to? Knowing how evil he is, he wouldn't just bring together a Cooper and his mate. If you want to see what happens next, then stay tuned and send in your reviews. I am about to assume more responsibility at work, so it will take some time for me to post, but I will whenever I can. Thank you all for being patient and enjoying my stories. 'Til next time!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Salam and good day, my fine readers! I bring to you another chapter to our adventure. I hope it is to your liking._

 _I don't own Sly Cooper or any of the known characters and game scenes. I will only take credit for the creation of Salira Panthera. All reviews and PM's are most welcome, but NO FLAMES or I will douse you with a firehose, LOL!_

 _Read, Review, Enjoy!_

* * *

(Salim POV)

I finally made it to the hideout with my soul mate in my arms, and I could feel her body trembling in my arms, from fear or exhaustion, I couldn't tell; but I did know that I needed to take care of her before she perishes. I could hear my brothers following me from behind but I didn't pay attention to them. My entire focus was on the trembling leopard in my arms. Her fur was dirty and burning hot against my arms; most likely from the burning sun and sand. I brought her to my sleeping area and turned to my brothers.

"We need to get her cooled off and her wounds taken care of!" I told them. They all nodded and the Tiger grabbed some cloth and made it wet and then laid it down on the ground. I carefully placed her on her stomach on the wet cloth so as not to hurt her. I winced when I heard her hiss in pain. I hated seeing her like this and I vowed to make sure she was never this way again.

"Salim, Kaya is here!" The Lion hollered out and I sighed in relief when I saw an old female monkey come in, covered from head to toe. She removed her veil and gasped at the site of my injured mate, then rushed over to her. She almost knocked me on my tail as she knelt down beside the leopard and examined her wounds. Kaya was an amazing healer but was also an oracle that had visions and sensed things that not be seen. She tried to touch my mates head, but then I heard the soft but threatening growl of the feline as her tail began twitching in aggravation. Kaya quickly backed up and this time knocked me down. As soon as Kaya backed away, the beautiful leopard calmed down and Kaya took a deep breath.

"What in the name of Allah was that?" The Panther asked. Kaya took slow steps towards the leopard so as to not provoke her in her sleep.

"It appears that this lady leopard is bound to someone, and since she's in an agitated state, her inner leopard will not allow anyone but her mate to touch her." Kaya explained. I took a deep breath and approached the sleeping cat. Receiving no growl or threat like Kaya, I knelt down and stroked her black hair. I smiled as I heard a loud purr coming from her and saw her tail lie still.

"It's ok now, my friend, I have calmed her down," I said, not taking my eyes off of my mate as she continued to purr in content at my touch. Kaya smiled and knelt down again and just looked down at her.

"I see that you have found your mate, at last, Salim!" She said as she began gently rubbing herbs on the leopard's back.

"Yes, I have found her, but not in the way that I wanted." I said, looking sadly at my mate as she flinched as the herb covered the slashes on her back and hushed her as she began growling again to keep her calm. This kept going for a while until Kaya wiped the sweat away and then gently covered my mate up with a thin blanket.

"She shall be fine, she just needs rest. Salim, I must ask, what happened to her?" Kaya said as we stood and walked away to let her sleep with some of my brothers watching over her. I took a quick glance at the beautiful sleeping feline before turning towards Kaya as she packed away her herbs.

"I fear that Clockwerk may have stolen her from her land and brought her here." I said, causing Kaya to gasp and then her paws began shaking and she looked at me at fear and then turned to my sleeping mate.

"Salim, hear what I say; some time ago, I had a most terrifying vision. I believe that Clockwerk plans on using your mate to bring your death. Please take care of her and make sure my vision does not come true! You are my friend and I don't want to lose you." Kaya said, tears building in her eyes. I pulled her into a hug.

"Don't worry, I will not make sure nothing happens to me or my mate." I told her as she pulled away. She smiled, nodded and then left the hideout. I took a deep breath and before I can do anything, I heard the words I have been waiting on.

"Salim, she's waking up!" The tiger said, and I rushed back over to the leopard and my brothers. Sure enough, I saw my mate stirring and stretching like the cat she was, quite gracefully I might add. She blinked her sapphire eyes open and looked around. I then sensed her tense up and painfully jump up into a defensive crouch, like she was ready to pounce. I could feel that she was still in pain, for her pain was my pain now and vice versa. My brothers backed off to show her they were no threat, but she ignored it, if her snarling and growling were something to go by. I slowly approached her with my paws in front of her. She quickly turned her fierce eyes to me and, as if by a miracle, she stood from her crouch and she relaxed, allowing me to approach her in hopes to soothe her into peace.

* * *

(Salira POV)

I finally came to, only to find myself on the ground surrounded by men I didn't know. I instantly jumped up onto my feet in a crouch and bared my claws and growled loudly, warning them to stay away from me.

"Easy kitty, we're not going to hurt you," one mouse said and I narrowed my eyes and growled louder, causing him to back up with his paws up where I could see them. No one approached me but something told me that someone else was approaching me from behind; I turned around quickly to tell them to back off when I froze.

Staring back at were the darkest brown eyes peering into my soul. Those eyes were the ones I have been dreaming about for the past month. I slowly relaxed from my crouch and retracted my claws as the owner of those eyes approached me with his paws where I could see them. He was a handsome raccoon that had a turban on his head, a black, sleeveless top that showed off his muscles without being too bulky and turquois pantaloons. He looked extremely familiar to me and not just from my dreams. It was like I have seen him before, but where? Just looking at him made me weak in the knees and it became worse he came to stand in front of me. I had a difficult time, breathing as he stared at me with a gentle smile, causing my heart to race rapidly against my chest.

"It is alright, my dear, you are safe. Nothing will harm you here." He said with a voice as smooth as velvet. He held out a paw for me to take, and shakily I took it and he led me forward.

"Where am I and who are you?" I asked. I had to know how this critter of my dream was, plus I wanted to know where that stupid bird left me at and why.

"Why, I am Salim, Salim Al Kupar, my dear" He said as he bowed to me, causing me to gasp. No wonder he looked familiar outside my dreams. This guy was one of Sly's famous ancestors, the one I admired the most.

"And you are in the hideout of the Forty Thieves, well 39 thieves at the moment." He continues while gesturing to all the thieves that surrounded us as they smiled at me in welcome. One of them came forward and kissed my paw.

"You gave us quite a scare when we found you and we're sorry if we scared you when you woke up. This fool here would not leave your side while Kaya worked on healing you." He said while nodding towards Salim and then at an elder lady monkey. I giggled while Salim groaned and narrowed his brown eyes at the thief.

"Lion, you are my brother, but you need to shut up!" He snapped, causing all the thieves and myself to laugh as he blushed and shook his head. I found it rather cute.

"Well, it's truly an honor to meet Salim Al Kupar and the legendary 40 Thieves. I am Salira Panthera." I said and all the thieves bowed down to me. I blushed when Salim took my paw in his and kissed the top of it.

"The honor is ours, Salira. Allow me to introduce the one who healed you, Kaya." He said as Kaya walked over and pulled me into a hug and then circled me.

"A fine, beautiful, and strong feline; she'll make a fine mate for our Salim." She said and I just gaped at her.

"WHAT?!" I shrieked and pulled away from Salim's grip. I didn't think anyone knew. I mean, I did feel the bond between Salim and me when he approached me, but I didn't think he would realize what I was to him. But apparently did since he is simply smiling at me.

"Oops, I said too much, didn't I?" Kaya asked while covering her mouth. Salim shook his head in annoyance and sighed.

"Yes you did." He sighed and gently took me in his arms, causing me to freeze and then instantly relax as he stroked my fur.

"My dear Salira, I know that this may seem scary to you, but you must know that I will not do anything to you that you don't want me to. If you will trust me, you will know nothing but love and joy. All I want at the moment is to get to know you and follow the path wherever it leads us." He said while looking into my eyes. I could see the truth in them and I felt that I could trust him. I felt that if I didn't take his offer, I would never be as happy as I want to be. Knowing what I wanted, I looked in his eyes, smiled and nodded. He smiled and then hugged me, hiding his face in my neck, causing me to start purring; as the thieves cheered for us. This proved that I made the right decision to give Salim and my heart a chance. We smiled at each other and faced the thieves and Kaya.

"Finally, now Salim can shut up about not having his mate with him!" The Lion exclaimed; causing all of us to laugh as Salim chucked one of his shoes at the Lion's head.

"You know, for too long we have been known as the 39 Thieves. That does not sound scary! I want to be called the 40 Thieves again." The one known as 'The Tiger' exclaimed. Salim smiled down at me.

"We do happen to have an open spot in our little family. How would like to become 'The Leopard' of the Forty Thieves, my dear?" He asked as he wrapped an arm around my waist. I smirked seductively at him as I pulled out of his reach and began circling around him. I brushed my tail beneath his chin, causing him to shiver and purr with desire, and took his dagger without knowing from his hip.

"And what makes you think that I'm even a thief?" I asked as I stood in front of him again. The thieves were snickering at my teasing. I quirked an eyebrow, then he smirked at me and put his paws on his hips. It was my turn to smirk as he froze, looked down at his hip and then started looking on his body, causing the thieves to laugh. Then he narrowed his eyes playfully at me as I held up his dagger. He snatched it and laughed.

"Cause that's my dagger you stole! You took it without me noticing; imagine all the treasure and loot we could steal together." He said while hooking me around the waist with his cane and pulled me to his muscular chest.

"YEAH, PLUS YOU COULD KEEP SALIM IN LINE FOR US!" The thief known as the Panther said, causing Salim to chuck his other shoe at his head; while we all laughed. I shook my head in glee and humor.

"Well, with an offer like that; how is a girl supposed to refuse?" I asked rhetorically, causing all the thieves to cheer. Suddenly, Salim pulled on my waist and into a kiss, causing me to freeze and then relax. I immediately felt our mating bond cement with that kiss. Salim wrapped an arm around my waist and I threw my arms around his neck and purred in his mouth as his tongue stroked mine. We pulled away as the thieves cheered for us. We turned to face them with his arm around my waist.

"Welcome to the Forty Thieves, Salira Panthera; or should I say 'The Leopard'!" The Tiger said while presenting me a sword. I took it and held it up as the Thieves and Salim followed while cheering. I smiled at the scene before me. It looks like I not only found my true soul mate, but I also found a second family and became the 40th member of the Legendary 40 Thieves. I don't know what Clockwerk was thinking when he left me here, but even though I miss Sly something fierce, I am grateful that bird dropped me here. Something tells me that mechanical monster plans to use me to get to Salim. Well I only have one thing to say about that, OVER MY DEAD BODY!

We celebrated my coming into the fold throughout the night, until all but I and Salim were asleep. I was looking around the hideout when I felt Salim's eyes on me. I turned my head and caught him staring at me and he didn't turn away, in fact, he was smiling at me.

"What?" I asked with a smile. He just smiled and took my paw and pulled me to my feet.

"You are more beautiful than I could ever imagine." He said softly, stroking my cheek. I blushed and looked away from his piercing eyes. He picked my chin up gently and then led me over to his sleeping area. There was so much excitement that we both couldn't fall asleep, so we stayed up and talked. It was going great until he asked the very question I dreaded.

"I am so pleased to have found you Salira, but I would like to know how you got here and what happened that got you hurt so badly." I froze at the statement. Salim must've seen it, for he took my paw in his. I took a deep breath and looked into his eyes.

"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to." He said as he stroked my paw. I smiled at him and covered his paw with my other one.

"I don't want any secrets between us, Salim. I must tell you so I can move on." I explained and he nodded, waiting for me to continue.

"The truth is that I'm not from here or even this time. I come from the future where your descendant is my adopted brother. I can't tell you his name, in risk of messing up the future." I began. Salim's eyes widened at the facts but nodded in understanding.

"My family has worked together with the Coopers for many generations, so when this evil monstrosity known as Clockwerk killed my parents, your descendants took me in." I looked down at my feet at the thought of losing my parents to that monster. I kept it hidden from Sly and my adopted parents and made them believe that I didn't remember seeing my parents die. I may have been but a wee kitten; but I could never forget those horrible, yellow, glowing eyes. Those eyes occasionally haunt me in my dreams; even after Sly and I destroyed him and Clock-la when Neyla took his form. I was startled from my head when Salim pulled me close to his body and I rested my head on his shoulder. I closed my eyes in content as he stroked the fur on my back, cautious of the talon marks. He kissed my head and sighed

"When my brothers and I found you in the desert, I feared that it was Clockwerk who brought you here and took you away from your family." He said as he held me close.

"But the thing is my brother and I destroyed Clockwerk in our time years ago! How could he have possibly returned from the junk heap?" I asked rhetorically. Salim was quiet but then he pulled me closer.

"Salira, I need you to listen to me. Clockwerk is still alive here and has been trying to hunt me down. The last time I escaped from him, he vowed to find my weakness and use it against me." He said, causing me to gasp and pull away to look in his eyes.

"But what would I have to do with…" I began before we looked at each other with our eyes widened.

"THE COOPER MATING BOND!" We said together. I began to tremble and Salim pulled me into his arms. It was exactly what I was afraid of. Clockwerk knows that I am Salim's Cooper Mate and now he plans to use me against my soul mate. But I still had so many questions.

"What I don't understand is how he found me and how he knew that I was your mate." I said, my voice sounding shaky with fear.

"I do not know how Clockwerk found out about you, but that monster is extremely powerful. It would not surprise me if he found a way to travel through time to kidnap you." Salim said as he held me close and did not let go. Even though I just met him, I did not mind how close we were to each other at all. Then, a dreadful thought penetrated my mind.

"But if Clockwerk time traveled to get to me, what if he does the same and goes after the other Coopers, including my brother?" I asked looking at Salim in fear. He took a deep breath and wiped my tears of fear from my eyes. I didn't even notice I was crying.

"If I know Clockwerk, he will not rush in killing our family. He likes to take his time and hunt us down slowly; let us fear him and then he kills us." He explained. I sighed in relief, knowing that Sly will never encounter that monster again. But that still didn't quell my fear for Salim. Even though we have just met, I know that I love him and I don't want to lose him. I've lost enough people in my life.

"My dear Salira, I can sense your worry for me, but it is not needed. I promise, nothing will happen to me or you. Now that you are here with me, I fully intend to make sure you have a long and happy life with me. That monster is not going to come between us. I promised you a long and happy life full of love, joy and wonder; and I fully intend to make sure that happens." He grabbed my paw and placed it over his heart as I felt his tail wrap around mine. "This heart that beats in my chest belongs to you now, Salira Panthera. Not even Clockwerk can destroy the love I feel for you. I know that we have just met but I will happily accept the bond that is meant for us, if you will have me." He said while stroking my cheek, causing me to close my eyes and involuntarily purr in content. He chuckled softly at my reaction. I opened my eyes at looked at him.

"Promise that you will never leave me?" I asked. He smiled and kissed my forehead and leaned his forehead against mine.

"Until my heart stops beating, my Salira."He whispered and then leaned in, and I met him the rest of the way in a loving kiss. I place of my paws on his face as he cupped the back of my head, pulling me closer to him. The kiss made my insides melt into a puddle. I gasped at the intense feeling I was getting in my heart, knowing it was from Salim. This just cemented my belief that I had found my soul mate, ironically, in Sly's ancestor.

The only sad thing is that I may never see him, Carmelita, Bentley, or Murray again. We have been through so much over the past decade, stealing from criminals, avenging mine and Sly's parents, destroying Clockwerk for good in our time, finding the Cooper Vault, and Sly's favorite pastime, messing with Carmelita. I was torn from them so quickly and harshly that it broke my heart. Salim must've picked up on my emotions as my tears must've leaked into his mouth. He pulled away and looked at me.

"What is wrong, love? Aren't you happy?" He asked worriedly. I smiled and stroked his cheek, knowing what he was worried about.

"Don't worry, Salim, I am thrilled that we are together. It's just that I miss my friends and brother back home. Clockwerk stole me away from them and I wasn't prepared for it. We went through so much that it just hurts at the fact that I may never see them again." I said as I looked to the floor, my tears falling to my feet. Salim cupped my chin gently and made me look at him.

"If there is one thing I have learned, it is 'Never say Never'. If Clockwerk found a way to travel through time, then maybe so can your friends. I do not think Allah would be so cruel as to take you away from your friends permanently. I believe that you will see them again one day. You must have faith, my dear." He said. I smiled, nodded, and hugged him after he dried my tears. I was about to say something, when a yawn escaped my mouth instead. Salim laughed and took me by surprise when he lifted me into his arms bridal style and carried me over to an area that served as his sleeping place. He laid me on the rug and then made to lie down on the ground, until I grabbed his tail. He jumped in surprise, causing me to laugh.

"There's plenty room on the rug, Salim." I said as I moved over to make room. He smiled and then lay down beside me. After that I immediately laid my head on his chest. I felt him freeze for an instant before he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to him. I purred softly as I felt his tail wrap around my tail and fell asleep, knowing that I was safe in the arms of my soul mate.

* * *

 _There you have it. Sorry it took so long to post, I had a writer's block and with work, I just didn't have the time. I will try to post the next chapter soon. Thank you all for being patient and enjoying my stories. 'Til next time!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Salam and good day, my fine readers! I bring to you another chapter to our adventure. I hope it is to your liking._

 _I don't own Sly Cooper or any of the known characters and game scenes. I will only take credit for the creation of Salira Panthera. All reviews and PM's are most welcome, but NO FLAMES or I will douse you with a firehose, LOL!_

 _Read, Review, Enjoy!_

* * *

(Sly POV)

It's been a whole month since Clockwerk abducted Salira and I still haven't found her! Every day my heart cracked, little by little, when she wasn't in my sight. While Carmelita is working on the case, I slip away to hang out with Bentley and Murray. I've been meeting up with them to see if we can find out where my sister was. Salira was a vital part of the gang. She was pretty much the glue that held us altogether. Not to mention, we would've starved if we didn't have her cooking! In fact, when I was in disguise at the coffee houses in Venice, all I could think about was Italian cooking after hearing the guard wanting to be buried in his mother's pasta sauce. Bentley was getting annoyed and Salira offered to make an Italian dinner if I would shut up about it. Needless to say, I knew exactly how that guard felt that night. She always had to make sure we all had plates because Murray loved her cooking so much that he tried to smuggle it for himself. I wiped a tear from my eye as I made my way into the old hideout. What used to be full of life and laughter was now gone. Bentley was typing away at his computer and Murray was scrounging in the kitchen with Salira's book of recipes in the kitchen. I shook my head at this. We were all terrified at the very thought of my sister in the talons of that monster. I still remember the day I told the guys what happened.

* * *

(1 month ago)

Right after Carmelita went to work; I slipped away to the gang's old hideout and looked around. Everything was as we left it. I went into the backroom that served as Salira's bedroom. The gang and I spoiled her so much that we let her have her own bedroom while we either slept on the floor, the couch, or the van. On the bed was a small book. I sat on the bed and looked at the cover. The cover held a picture of all of us together. This was Salira's photo album. Salira loved to collect souvenirs and memories of everything. So for her birthday, the gang and I worked together and made this photo album. I opened and looked at all the pictures.

I rolled my eyes with a smile at the first one. It was when Salira and I first met the gang in the orphanage, the same one that was on her nightstand back at Carmelita's place. Salira was quite the playful kitty when she was little and I can still see that playfulness in her. I continued to flip through the photos until I stopped on one that made me laugh so hard that I fell back on the bed. Salira's ex-boyfriend, before Le Paradox, cheated on her and she ended it. Salira returned to the hideout in tears and explained everything to us. Needless to say, I had to stop myself, Bentley, and Murray from hunting the guy down, even though I wanted to, Salira needed us. Then the bastard had the nerve of approaching Salira the next day and begged for forgiveness. Before Salira could say anything; Bentley approached the fool and chased him away with missiles on his tail. I held Salira in my arms as we pointed and laughed at the guy as he screamed for his mama, saying her little "boo boo" needed help, while running away from the missiles that followed his every move. After the picture was taken, Murray hunted the guy down, had beaten him to a pulp, and then hung him from a telephone by his underwear. The sound of Salira's laughter and the smile on her face was priceless. Bentley and Murray were just like me when it came to Salira. We never wanted her to be unhappy or see her crying. We did everything in our power to make her laugh and smile. I would give anything to hear her laughter and see her smile again. I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard the door to the hideout opening.

"Hello?" I heard a familiar voice say. I rushed out to see Bentley and Murray coming in.

"Sly, there you are! We've been looking everywhere for you. I'm trying to contact Salira, but she's not answering. I thought maybe you would know where she is." Bentley said as he rolled over to the table with Murray following behind.

"Yeah, where's my favorite little kitty?" Murray asked looking around the hideout. I would've laughed at Murray's nickname for Salira. She always hated being called "Kitty" but she tolerated it for Murray. That terrible ache in my heart came back as I thought about her. I slowly walk over and sat down in my chair, not looking at either of them.

"Sly? Where is Salira?" Bentley asked slowly with fear clearly heard in his voice. I took a deep breath and told them what happened. They both just sat there, staring at me.

"Are you serious, Sly? Clockwerk appeared out of nowhere and kidnapped Salira?" Bentley asked. I sighed and nodded my head. Murray clenched his fist and punched a hole in the wall with a deadly look on his face.

"THAT DOES IT! NO ONE MESSES WITH THE MURRAY'S KITTY! ESPECIALLY NO STUPID METAL BIRD!" Murray shouted.

"But how; we destroyed Clockwerk years ago, Hate Chip and all! There's no way he could come back. It's just not possible!" Bentley said while trying to wrack his brain for answers as usual.

"Yeah, well tell that to the monster that swiped my sister from the streets right before my very eyes!" I snapped at Bentley, but instantly regretted it. "I'm sorry, Bentley" I said with a sigh.

"It's ok, Sly. All that matters is that we have to find out how Clockwerk came back, and where he took Salira. I'm afraid we all may know why he took her." Bentley said with a tremble in his voice. My eyes widened in fear. Murray covered his mouth, like he was about to be sick.

"Ewww! That thought still makes me sick!" Murray said before he took a seat to my right.

"Do you really think that Clockwerk will use Salira like he did with her ancestors?" I asked Bentley, fearing the answer.

"I am afraid that's the only motive he would have, unless there is some other strange reason. But we really need to find out how he came back! I will need some kind of sample from Clockwerk so I can analyze him. There has got to be something about that monster that we don't know about! But where can we find it? His parts turned to dust when Carmelita smashed his Hate Chip!" Bentley explained. It took some thinking before it struck me. When Clockwerk disappeared with Salira, I dropped into the concrete that was destroyed when his talons destroyed the street while chasing her. I found some metal in the rut and kept it from Carmelita while she collected the rest for evidence. I pulled the metal out of my pocket and handed it to Bentley. His eyes widened at me.

"Sly, how did you get this?" He asked.

"I found it after the cops opened a crime scene when Clockwerk disappeared."

"This is PERFECT! I can use this to analyze and find out exactly what this monster is and what he is capable of. I only hope we're not too late!" Bentley exclaimed before rushing over to his equipment.

"Let's get to work then!" I said, and then we all buckled down and got to work on finding the leopard we all know and loved.

* * *

(Back to the present)

After a complete failure at making Salira's famous lasagna, Murray settled for a sandwich. As always I was flipping through Salira's photo album, as a way to keep her close to me. I was completely terrified. It's been a month and who knows what has happened to my sister. My thoughts and fears were interrupted when Bentley gave a shout from his computer.

"EUREKA! I've found something!" He said. We all gathered around him as he projected an image of the very being I hated with every fiber of my being, Clockwerk!

"What is it, Bentley?" I asked.

"Have you found our kitty?" Murray followed.

"No, but I think I found Clockwerk's secret! We all know the reason why he needed the Panthera Family, to preserve his immortality by drinking the blood from their hearts, BLEGH! It's sickening but apparently it worked, but the question is how he resurrected himself if his hate chip was destroyed. The answer is he didn't resurrect! He travelled to find Salira!" he explained.

"Wait, if you're saying that Clockwerk didn't return from the junk heap, then how was he able to appear out of nowhere and grab my sister? Unless…" I paused for a moment. Bentley nodded his head.

"Exactly, Sly! This Clockwerk was before we destroyed him. This metal sample did come from the frame of Clockwerk, but this frame had no damage done to it! There should've been some damage from either Carmelita's missiles or even from her shock pistol, but there wasn't'. Which means this sample came from a time frame that was before we all hunted Clockwerk down to get the Thievius Raccoonus!"

"But how?" I asked, but somehow I knew the answer and didn't like it one bit.

"TIME TRAVEL!" Bentley and I exclaimed simultaneously.

"Bingo! I've analyzed Clockwerk's frame and discovered a contraption in between the heart and the lungs. After doing more research, I've discovered it was a miniature time machine infused with his frame; giving Clockwerk the ability to travel through time at will. Clockwerk must've travelled in time to find Salira and bring her back to the era he came from. There question is where, when, and why." Bentley explained.

"Right, because if Clockwerk travelled from the past, then he wouldn't need Salira for the purpose we thought. He would just use her ancestor from that era!" I thought out loud, rubbing the fur on my chin.

"Exactly Sly, which means Clockwerk needs Salira for something else. Knowing him, it can't be good!" Bentley said.

"Can't you use the metal to find out which time he came from?" Murray asked.

"I'm not sure, Murray. And I can't use Salira's tracker to find her through time. I'll do whatever I can to find her, Sly. I promise." Bentley said turning back towards the hologram. I glared at the metal bird for the last time before heading back to Carmelita's condo.

I barely made it back before Carmelita came home. I was standing on the balcony staring at a picture taken during our last heist before the Cooper Vault job. It was when I robbed Ol' Muggshot of an antique gold watch. I saved Carmelita before the jet crashed and escaped. But I let her have the watch as I made my escape after I kissed her. The gang was annoyed with me, but Salira was amused. The picture showed us in the van. Bentley face-palmed; Murray rolled his eyes at me; Salira gave me a noogie because of the intense crush I had on the lovely fox, and I was shown trying to push her away. That was how it should be now! Salira should be with me and we should be making fun of each other and enjoying life. Unknowingly, a tear came from my eye and dropped onto the picture. I wiped my eyes when I saw Carmelita coming up in a gorgeous blue dress that hugged her curvy figure. She smiled sadly at me and looked at the picture in my paw. She then placed a paw on my shoulder and laid her head softly on my back.

"I know you miss her, Sly. I do too. I am not giving up. There's just no way could that Clockwerk take her down after all that you all have been through together." She said with a sigh. I smiled softly at her as she closed her eyes.

"Thanks Carmelita. I just can't help but worry about her. I am just praying she's ok." I said with a sigh as I looked down at the picture. I took a deep breath and then turned to take Carmelita in my arms. She hugged my waist and smiled up at me.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay home tonight?" She asked. I shook my head, kissed the top of hers and smiled.

"I'm sure. Salira would bash me on the head if she knew that I put life on hold, just because I was worried about her." I told her, causing a cute giggle to escape her lips.

"That does sound like something she would do." She said. I rolled my eyes, kissed her cheek and went inside to change into a tux for our date at the museum. I only hope I don't cross paths with Le Paradox again.

* * *

(Salira POV)

These past few years have been absolutely amazing. Aside from the fact that Clockwerk stole me away from my friends and family, I was having the time of my life. Even though I missed Sly and the others, my heart was full of love. I've actually forgotten about the evil bird and enjoyed life with my mate and the thieves. I have gained a second family as the Leopard in the infamous Forty Thieves. As for Salim and I, well, nothing could bring us closer together. It took some time, but eventually, I opened up my heart completely to Salim and I have never been happier since then. The Forty Thieves took to me instantly. I considered myself as the mother of the clan. I always had to cook and do laundry for them. Until Salim put his foot down and demanded that they all help me instead of making me do all the work. They all humbly agreed, all except for The Lion, he swore that he would never do laundry. We were all one big happy family and I have always imagined our family growing more with Salim and me. We have done everything together, especially pulled off many heists. Salim was over the moon when he found out I was a thief like himself and we have been partners in crime ever since.

Which brings us to tonight; I discovered a cruel Sultan in the palace who takes a liking to levying heavy taxes to what he consider as "parasites and spongers". To him, that would include the elderly; the infirm; and little children. That was most certainly not alright in my books, so I spoke to the thieves and Salim; and we all agreed to punish the Sultan by robbing him of his most treasured possession: The Mystic Blue Diamond; a beautiful sapphire ring that he never takes off unless he's asleep. Even then, he keeps it beside him, locked up. I knew it would be tricky but it would be worth it to make him pay for his cruelty.

Salim and I were climbing up to the rooftop. We searched around until we found the opening to the Sultan's bed chambers. Even with the glass ceiling, Salim and I could hear him snoring and snorting like a pig, even though he was an elephant. Salim was about to bust a gut, holding in his laugh before I shushed him. I smiled at him before bring out one of my claws and used it to scratch under his chin and brushed his tail with mine. I heard him purr in content as he closed his eyes. I giggled before turning to open the glass ceiling.

"You know dear, sometimes I wonder if you're part cat with the way you purr." I said as I just placed a claw on the glass.

"Raccoons purr as well, my darling." Salim said as he wrapped his arms around my waist as I carved a circle in the glass, big enough for me to fit through. He was rubbing my exposed stomach with his own claws, causing me to unintentionally purr. I felt him chuckle on my back.

"I sure love that purr of yours, dearest. It's very seductive." He said with a low seductive voice. I giggled softly, before quietly removing the glass. Then I turned in Salim's arms and wrapped my own around his waist as my tail played with his.

"Guess you bring out that side of me every time you are near me" I said. He smiled and kissed my lips quickly before I pulled away and jumped down into the bed chambers. I loved being a cat, knowing that I can land on my feet without making a sound. The Sultan snorted in his sleep and turned onto his left side and remained asleep. I glared at the scoundrel and made my way to the stand beside his bed. The compartment was locked so I stuck a claw into the lock and began picking it. I was afraid that I have woken the Sultan for he yawned and then said something that almost made me sick!

"Salira Panthera, I would be willing to pardon forever all of your crimes for being so gloriously beautiful. You should abandon that Cooper thief and choose someone who is more worthy of your heart." He said before turning over and started kissing his pillow.

 _EWWWW!_ I thought trying not to barf. I then sensed intense anger and realized that Salim must've heard the Sultan and it did not make him happy, not one bit. I sent him an intense wave of love while looking up at him with a loving smile. I almost let out a giggle as he almost buckled at the feeling.

" _Salim, my heart belongs to you. That rotten pachyderm will never hold a candle to you!"_ I said to him through our mating bond. He smiled at me and nodded.

" _It just enrages me when someone tries to take you from me!"_ He said to me.

" _That won't happen, Salim. No one will take me away from you."_ I replied. He nodded and I turned back to the matter at hand. Moments later, I heard the desired click and opened the compartment. Right where it should be was the diamond I was after. I swiped it, but before I could take a step, The Sultan turned onto his side and grabbed my tail in his sleep. I growled softly in anger at this. I hate when anyone but Salim touch my tail. In fact, the Tiger decided to prank me by sneaking up on me and pulling my tail. I got him back by swatting him with my claws. But now they know, only Salim can touch my tail. I took a deep breath and reached over to tickle the Sultan's humongous ear. I sighed in relief when he released my tail to rub his ear. I held my tail away from him in case he tried to grab it again. I released the breath I was holding and made my way to the tapestry covered wall. Using my claws, I silently climbed back up the wall and through the opening I made with ease. As soon as I made it into the roof, Salim hooked my around the waist with that cane of his and pulled me into his arms. He hid his face in my neck while his paws ran all over my body.

"Salim, calm yourself. I am fine." I said as I stroked his tail with my claws in a way that always calmed him down. As expected, I felt his form vibrate as he purred. I smiled before pulling away.

"I was very close to jumping down there and pummeling that fool for touching you." He said before taking my hand. I laughed out loud as our tails entwined with each other.

"I was extremely close to swatting him like I did to the Tiger. This time I would've left a permanent scar on his ugly face! No one but you touches my tail!" I stated. Little did I know that I just baited him. He quirked an eyebrow at me and gave me a mischievous smirk.

"Oh really, you mean like this?" He asked before he pulled on my tail causing me to shriek before he dragged his claws through it from the base of my spine to the tip.

"HEY!" I shouted before he ran off laughing.

"GET BACK HERE COOPER!" I shouted as I chased after him. I felt like I was Carmelita chasing after Sly. That ping in my heart returned at the thought of my brother, but I ignored it and focused on catching that sneaky raccoon. I finally caught up with him and jumped on his back.

"GOTCHA!" I yelled.

He lost his balance and we both went tumbling done a large sand dune. We both landed at the bottom on our backs, laughing our heads off. After catching our breath, Salim leaned up over me and just looked at me. The way he was looking at me made me want to melt into the sand. He stroked my cheek with his paw and sent an intense wave of love to me, causing me to gasp at the strength of the wave. I smiled and pulled his head down to mine, causing his lips to crash onto mine. He instantly wrapped his arms around me. I was instantly consumed in the cocoon of warmth and love that surrounded me. I felt his claws on my breast under my light blue, cropped from the breast down, top and his other paw rubbed all over my stomach, causing me to gasp in his mouth. I pulled away as he continued to kiss my neck. He removed the bands in my black hair along with my matching headband, and combed through my hair as he continued his ministrations on my neck. Our moans and purrs blended together as one. My eyes shot open as I felt Salim reach under my light blue harem bottoms and I knew if we continued, we would go all the way and I knew I was not ready for that just yet. I wanted to wait until Salim and I were married; so I gently pushed on Salim's shoulders. Understanding what I needed, he sighed, pulled away and helped me stand up. I looked into his eyes sadly, fearing I disappointed him.

"Salim, I…" I started to say before he hushed me gently and covered my mouth with his fingers.

"I understand that you are not ready yet, Darling. It is alright." He said as he cupped my cheek in his paw. I sighed and looked down at the ground.

"I know it's been years, Salim. But I just don't think it's the right time yet. I do love you, Salim, but I'm just not ready yet." I said, while avoiding his eyes. I felt his paw on my chin as he lifted my face up to his. He kissed my forehead and smiled down at me.

"It is alright, my dear. I too believe that it is not the right time. I was hoping that we could consummate our love once I take you as my bride." He said. I gasped at his words and smiled.

"That's exactly what I was thinking! I want to wait until we marry." I said. He smiled before pulling me into a kiss. Moments later, we both screamed and pulled apart from each other drenched in salty smelling water. We both turned to see our brothers laughing at us and the Panther was holding a bucket.

"Sorry, it was getting so hot, I thought you needed to cool off!" He said. Salim and I growled and Panther rushed off to the hideout with us quickly behind him shouting, "PANTHER!"

* * *

(Clockwerk POV)

Everything was going exactly as planned! As much as I wanted to kill those two sentimental fools, Cooper and Panthera, I had to take my time. Through the years, I have watched over the leopard and raccoon as their bond grew stronger every day. Now I knew that the time has come. Although the very thought of love made me sick to my mechanical stomach, it would be the source of Cooper's demise! Once I get rid of Cooper, I will rip Panthera's heart out of her body and consume the immortal blood within it.

The Panthera family was extra special. They had the ability to stop aging and remain young if they chose to. Those foolish felines never used their abilities; they wanted to grow old with their precious mates. Why waste such a valuable talent? So for thousands of years, I've kept myself alive with a steady diet of hate and Panthera blood.

This opportunity was too much to pass up. The chance to end a Cooper and preserve my immortality was too delicious to resist. Salim Al Kupar was a major thorn in my side and I wanted to make him suffer before I killed him. What better way for him to suffer than to kill his mate right in front of him and rip her heart from her body? I could not wait for long, so I hunted down Kupar's oracle friend and hypnotized her to tell me who was his mate and where to find her. Then I built a miniature time machine within my body so I could travel there and snatch up Panthera. Unfortunately, that foolish raccoon, that tried to rescue her from me, damaged my time machine. I managed to get her here before it exploded after I abandoned her in the desert. I knew that was a Cooper as soon as I saw him and I wanted to travel back to kill him and once and for all, end the Cooper Clan! But thanks to that wretch, I can never use my time travel ability again!

No matter though, I have more important things at hand now. I shall allow the Cooper Mates to enjoy each other's presence for one more day before I tear them apart.

 _Mark my words, soon you shall meet your doom, Cooper!_

* * *

 _Uh Oh! Clockwerk is back and ready to engage his plan. Will he succeed or will Salim and Salira survive the monster that has killed every Cooper he comes across? Stay tuned and review if you want to find out._

 _I've got a little game for you all: some parts of the chapter come from other places, in movies and another game. Can you guess which part comes from where?_

 _I am sorry I took so long to post. There's been so much going on and I just got out of a writer's block. On top of that, another school semester has begun so I will be focused on my work and my studies. I will try to post sooner than I have been. Thank you all for reading. 'Til next time!_

 _Seiya-SerenaFan18_


	5. Chapter 5

_Salam and good day my fine readers. I apologize for taking so long to post. Not only was I suffering from a writer's block, but I also lost my job. So, I've been more focused on schooling and finding another job. For that I do apologize. I certainly hope this chapter was worth the wait._

 _I sadly acknowledge that I do not own Sly Cooper or any of the known characters. Salira is only mine. There is a little swearing in Arabic in this chapter. The translations will be at the end._

 _No flames or you will be doused with a fire hose!_

 _Read, review, and Enjoy!_

* * *

(Salim POV)

The sun wasn't even up as I woke up to find my darling Salira wrapped up in my arms as always. I wanted to give her a gift for some time; ever since she came into my life, but didn't know what to get her. Then I remembered the ride I took her on my magic carpet months ago; it was the night I asked her to be my wife.

* * *

(4 months ago)

I have been planning this event for a long time. I wanted to do something very special for Salira before asking her the question that I wanted to ask right after she woke up in our lair. My brothers were no help as they had no idea about romance. I was very fortunate to have a friend that was a woman. What she suggested was perfect. Kaya was keeping Salira busy and getting her ready for what I had planned for tonight. Finally, a dear friend of mine finally showed up, a magic living carpet that I called "Carpet".

"This needs to be perfect, my friend. Can you do this for me?" I asked.

Carpet bent down half way into a bow and then looked over my shoulder. I turned towards Carpet's line of sight and my jaw dropped. Kaya was walking towards me with a goddess at her side. Her black hair was finely brushed and the moon reflected on it, giving it a bluish hue. Her normal blue outfit was replaced with a gorgeous purple outfit with a solid skirt the went down to midthigh and sheer over the skirt that followed her legs down to her ankles. Her top went off her shoulders and stopped just below her breasts, showing off her curvaceous stomach and her sculpted arms. A golden necklace with an amethyst jewel was resting in the valley of her breasts on her neck, and a matching headband and ties contrasted with her hair as it swayed gracefully behind her. I just could not stop staring at her. Carpet broke me out of the spell by reaching out and closed my mouth. I shook my head and approached my beautiful mate.

"You look absolutely beautiful, as always, my love." I said as I pulled her close. She smiled and blushed while looking at her feet. Then she picked her head up, looked to my left and gasped at the sight of Carpet.

"What is it?" She asked as she pulled away and walked over to Carpet and smiled with wonder in her sapphire eyes.

"It's a magic carpet." I responded as Carpet floated towards her.

"It's lovely!" She said as she stroked Carpet. It grabbed her paw with its' tassels and kissed her paw, causing a cute giggle to escape her mouth. I smiled as I wrapped an arm around her narrow waist.

"I thought that we could go for a flight." I said. She gasped and smiled at me.

"Really?" She asked. To support me, Carpet folded into a set of stairs for her to climb up.

"Of course," I said. She smiled at Carpet and climbed up Carpet's steps while holding my paw. I then climbed up behind her.

"Hold on." I said and Carpet took off, causing her to squeak in surprise and grab my shoulders. She looked back to see Kaya and our brothers waving at us. Carpet flew us all over the world. We flew low into a meadow of flowers where Carpet picked a rose and handed it to me and I gave it to Salira. She smelled it and then put it in her hair. Then she snuggled in my arms. As we flew over the ocean, Carpet was gliding over the water and Salira reached over and ran her paw through the water. Suddenly a bunch of dolphins started jumping out of the water, surrounding us. Carpet slowed down, allowing one dolphin to jump up and bump its nose gently against Salira's cheek, as if to kiss her. I smiled before a spray of water hit me in the face. The smile was wiped off of my face as Salira busted out laughing. Even Carpet was trembling under us before it lifted up away from the water. Carpet soared up above the clouds where we were surrounded by stars before he stopped. I took a deep breath and then turned towards Salira and took her paws into mine.

"Salira, it's been 5 years since you came into my life and made it perfect. And yet, I don't feel complete just yet." I said. She pushed her brows together in confusion, but I continued.

"I think I know how to feel complete, but it is up to you. The very thing that will make me complete, is for you to be my wife." I said. She gasped and covered her mouth with a paw as tears began to build in her eyes.

"Salim Al Kupar, are you asking me what I think you are asking me?" She asked. I smiled at her.

"Salira Panthera, will you allow me to take your hand in marriage?" I asked, holding her paw tightly, anxious for her answer. Salira covered her eyes with the paw I wasn't holding and began to cry. I let her release her emotions, but I was a little scared, that she would say no. She erased my fears as she wiped her eyes and threw herself in my arms with a smile. I quickly caught as I landed on my back almost falling off of Carpet with a laugh of my own. Before pulling her head down for a kiss. She pulled away and we both sat up as Carpet flew us back to the hideout, not knowing that an evil metal bird was following us. I jumped off and Salira jumped back into my arms and we laughed together.

"So, is that a yes?" I asked. She rolled her eyes and thrusted her lips back on to mine.

"Yes, you silly raccoon, yes I will marry you!" She exclaimed. I spun her around as our brothers cheered after hearing Salira's answer.

* * *

(Present)

That night was perfect and it only got better from that night. Kaya and Salira spent the days planning the wedding and then she joined me on heists. It was custom to give the bride something of the man's to symbolize that everything was to be shared between the man and wife, so I had to think of something. I pulled away from Salira without waking her to take a walk outside to think. I wanted to give Salira something that means a lot to me, but then, I froze. Ever since that magic carpet ride, Salira took rides on Carpet every chance she had. I smiled before whistling. Carpet zoomed over towards me.

"Carpet, I know you like having Salira around and she loves you. I would like you to be hers. We will still be friends but I want you to stay with her and make sure you can get her to safety when she gets in trouble." I explained. Carpet froze and then flew into the cave. I heard a squeal and rushed to find Salira awake and wrapped up in Carpet, like it was hugging her.

"Carpet, you scared me! What's going on?" Salira asked as Carpet unraveled her and just floated to her right.

"I'm sorry dear, I didn't think that Carpet would react this way." I said while rubbing the back of my neck, sheepishly.

"React to what exactly, Salim?" She asked while folding her arms and tapping her foot on the sand.

"I wanted to give Carpet to you, since you enjoy taking rides on it so much." I said. She gasped and looked at Carpet and it nodded in agreement.

"I see, and surprising me by wrapping yourself around me, was your way of saying 'yes'?" She asked it. I laughed as Carpet acted sheepish and looked at the ground. Salira giggled and walked up to me and kiss my cheek.

"Thank you, Salim, I love it!" She said. Carpet perked up and Salira found herself wrapped around it again, but this time she laughed as it hugged her tighter. She stroked its' head. The other thieves all woke up minutes later and Salira made breakfast of roasted scorpion tails with Camel Milk. Then the Thieves and I went on our heist.

* * *

(Salira POV)

I was making my wedding dress until I got bored and called Carpet.

"Hey Carpet, do you feel like going for a flight?" I asked. Carpet bowed and then flattened out. I smiled and then climbed on. Carpet then zoomed out of the hideout. We flew over the sea and I felt the sun on my fur and the wind in my face and blowing through my hair. This is one of the things that made me feel free. I smirked and laid down on my stomach and held on to Carpet.

"Hey Carpet, is this the fastest you can go?" I asked, challenging it. Seconds later, Carpet was flying so fast, I had to dig my claws into it to keep from flying off. I was laughing all the way. But that was until I heard a frighteningly familiar sound of flapping wings. I froze and turned my head and shrieked at the sight of the monster himself, Clockwerk! Carpet freaked out and started flying even faster.

"LET'S GET OUT OF HERE, CARPET!" I shouted as we tried to get away.

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME, PANTHERA!" I heard Clockwerk growl out. I knew there was no way to get away from a 3,000-year-old bird that's been around since Ancient Egypt, hellbent on wiping out the Cooper Clan. Suddenly a blast was sounded behind me and saw a laser ring shot at us and struck Carpet.

"Carpet, no!" I shouted before it crashed into the sand, causing me to fall off. I hit the ground face first. My vision was blurry and all I saw before I blacked out, were talons reaching out and lifting me up.

* * *

(Salim POV)

My brothers and I were coming back from our heist, when all of a sudden a sharp pain struck my heart. I grabbed at it and fell on my knees with a shout.

"Salim, what's wrong, brother?" Lion asked. I closed my eyes to catch my breath, but the pain would not leave and then I realized what it meant.

"SALIRA!" I shouted before sprinting back to the hideout. Salira was nowhere to be seen, but Carpet was lying on the burning sand, burned to a crisp and had holes in the fabric.

"Carpet! What happened, and where's Salira?" I asked. Carpet slowly lifted a tassel and drew on the sand. When Carpet finished, the result was an image of a bird that I knew all too well. My eyes narrowed in rage and I clenched my teeth and shouted at the sky.

"CLOCKWERRRRRRRRK!" Carpet picked himself up and swept me up onto him and took off in hopes to find Clockwerk before it's too late.

* * *

(Clockwerk POV)

I smiled evily as I heard Salim scream out in anger. I knew that it won't be long until Salim Al Kupar is no more and Panthera's blood will be mine. The flight was silent until Panthera awakened and then started to struggle in my talons. This time, I did not release her.

"Clockwerk, you bastard! Let go of me!" She shouted. I ignored her and continued until I reached my destination. To have a little fun with my feline victim, I dropped her; and as expected, she picked herself up and ran. She didn't get two feet until I landed on top of her and dug my talons into her back, ripping her outfit. The painful screech that I wanted to hear finally came out. Her blood ran all over my talons and I just had to have a taste. I lifted a foot up to my beak and tasted the blood. If it tasted this good, then I tremble in anticipation to taste the blood I truly desired. The young Panthera trembled as my talons dug deeper into her flesh.

"Don't worry, Panthera. You will be dead soon, just as soon as your Cooper comes to rescue you." I said as I released her and lifted into the air.

"You will fail, you metal freak!" She groaned out. I laughed at her and then grabbed her neck in my talons, suffocating her.

"I think not, Coopers are always willing to die for their mate, and it is just my luck that Cooper's mate just happened to be an ageless Panthera!" I said while trailing my other talon down her chest and dug it into her chest for demonstration of what's in store for her. The fear in her eyes was tantalizing when she realized what was going to happen.

"That's what all of this was about? You snatched me away in the future so you could lure Salim to you so you could kill him and absorb my blood to keep your immortality?!" She exclaimed as she continued to struggle.

"Pretty smart, for a cat. Too bad it won't save you or your precious Cooper! You have no idea how long I have waited to have your beating heart in my talons and to see the light leave Cooper's eyes!" I said, then I dropped her and watched in malicious delight as she landed painfully on her back.

"THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN CLOCKWERK!" I heard from a distance. The young leopard and I turned to see Al Kupar flying towards us on a magic carpet with a look of anger and determination in his eyes.

"HAHAHA! Cooper, you're just in time to watch your mate die before your eyes!" I mocked him before slashing my talons across Panthera's face diagonally from her left eye, all the way down to her right hip. She cried out so loudly and fell to the ground. Her blood painted the sand. It wouldn't be long until that coveted heart of hers would no longer beat and would be ripe for the taking. Salim jumped off the carpet and ran to Salira and tried to block her from me. He then fell to his knees at the sight of the bleeding leopard.

"Clockwerk! Stop, I beg of you. Let her live and take me instead!" Salim finally said the words I've been waiting to hear. I smirked as Panthera glanced weakly over at Cooper with tears in her eyes.

"No, Salim! Don't do it." She begged before collapsing onto the burning sand with a pain filled groan and fell unconscious. Salim looked at Panthera sadly, knowing that it's time to meet his doom at my talons, took a deep breath and then turned back towards me with hatred in his eyes.

"Leave Salira alone, Clockwerk! It's me you want and not her! I will not fight you so long as you let her go!" He said. I quirked an eye at the foolish raccoon's request. He must not know his precious leopard's secret. This will work out perfectly! I laugh internally as I give Cooper my answer.

"Very well, Cooper! Throw your cane away and surrender to me; and I will not harm your precious mate anymore!" I told him and smirked as he sighed, tossed his cane aside and closed his eyes, waiting for his fate. I flew up and then dove to attack Cooper with a loud hoot.

* * *

(Salim POV)

I feared this day would come, ever since my Salira told me how she got here. My worst fear has been realized, Salira was used by Clockwerk to get to me and now she's near death. Tears flooded my eyes as Clockwerk played with me and slashed his talons all over my body. I was numb from the pain. The tears were due to the fact that I will never see Salira again; never take her as my bride; never see her full with my children growing inside her; never hold the children that I planned to have with her or watch them grow. I had such great plans for mine and Salira's future, but will now never happen. All because of this monstrous bird that has taken many of my ancestors' lives before my own. Now it was my turn to meet the same fate.

Clockwerk snatched me from the ground and flew up with my head stuck in between his talons, and suddenly slammed me into the ground. Every bone in my body was aching in pain but I tried to remain strong, letting Clockwerk know that I will not fall so easily. I crawled slowly towards Salira as she laid still. I reached for her until, suddenly, Clockwerk landed harshly on my back, his back facing Salira; forcing a shout of pain to come out of me.

"This is your end, Cooper! First, I will kill you, then your precious kitty cat is next!" He said. I gasped and then growled while struggling under his Talons.

" _Ya Ibn el Sharmouta!_ You promised that you would not harm her!" I shouted while insulting him in my native tongue. I should've known that Clockwerk wouldn't keep his word. It was stupid of me to think otherwise. I was just desperate to try and save my love.

"HAHAHAHA! Foolish little Cooper, did you honestly think I wouldn't take the chance to preserve my immortality?!" He mocked me. I looked up at Clockwerk, confused at what he meant and suddenly looked at Salira. It was then, that I realized the truth. Salira was the descendent of my dear friend, Jasmine Panthera; so, that meant that the Panthera's ageless ability must have been passed down to my beloved.

"That's right, Cooper! Your dear Salira possesses the Panthera's ability to stop aging and become almost immortal. But you know, she was going to let the ability go to waste and spend the rest of her life with you; like her ancestors before her! The same ones I have killed. I must rip the heart out of the Panthera's body and consume its' blood in order for the power to transfer to me! And now, if I consume the blood of the last Panthera, then with the constant hatred for your wretched family, my immortality will be EVERLASTING AND NO ONE CAN STOP ME!" he finished while shouting and dug his talons deep into my flesh. I knew the end was near for my vision was blurry and I no longer held the energy to hold my head up. I laid my head down and gave one last look to Salira. I was so weak, I knew I didn't have time left, but I had to tell her one last time, how much she meant to me before Allah summoned me.

" _Wadaeaan_ , my love, I shall wait for you in Heaven." I whispered. The last thing I heard was a mighty leopard roar before the blackness surrounded me and Death reached me.

* * *

(Salira POV)

The sounds of flapping wings and shouts of pain reached my ears as I finally came to. The last thing I remember was Salim, foolishly making a deal to surrender for my safety before I passed out. An intense pain reached my heart and I jumped awake as I felt a heart-wrenching reaching into my mind and heart.

" _Wadaeaan_ , _my love, I shall wait for you in Heaven."_

I gasped, knowing it was Salim who sent that message. My vision finally came back to me, and what I saw made me growl and see blood red! Clockwerk was perched on top of Salim, who was unconscious, and was about to deal the killing strike. With the strength, I had left, I slowly picked myself off the ground, picked up Salim's cane and pounced onto Clockwerk's head with a loud roar. Clockwerk shouted in surprise and lifted up off of Salim and started flying around. I held on with intent to make this bird suffer for everything he's done: For taking me away from Sly and my friends; for tracking and killing every Cooper he comes across; for killing my entire family for his despicable needs; and for targeting my mate to continue his legacy of hatred for the Cooper Clan! After a while, Clockwerk paused in the sky and turned his head to glare at me.

"PANTHERA! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS YOU FOOLISH GIRL!" He shouted at me. I glared at him with the same amount of hatred he possessed for the Cooper Clan and my family. I growled loudly and tightened my grip on Salim's cane to a point where it nearly broke in half.

"OH YEAH?! WELL HOW'S THIS FOR A PAYMENT, PLUS A LITTLE TIP?!" I shouted before I smashed Salim's cane right smack into Clockwerk's left eye, taking it out. This time, Clockwerk shouted in pain and did a barrel roll in the sky. I fell off and tried to land on my feet, but I collapsed onto my front and crawled to Salim as Clockwerk flew out of sight with a shout in rage.

"THIS IS NOT OVER, PANTHERA! WE WILL MEET AGAIN!" He shouted. I sighed in relief at the fact that metal freak was gone for now. I slowly crawled over to Salim's unresponsive body before collapsing onto his chest where his heart no longer beats.

* * *

(Lion POV)

After Salim rushed off on Carpet to rescue Salira, we all made our way through the desert in the same direction he flew off in. Hours later, we caught up to Salim only to find a scene that made all of our blood run cold: we were too late! Salira collapsed onto Salim's dead body and has stopped breathing, while the metal menace who tormented Salim flew away. Carpet floated slowly over us and over to the dead couple. It tried to nudge Salira and then Salim, but sadly they did not move. Then it dropped down and covered both of them under its' fabric as a sign that our brother and his mate were truly dead.

As our hearts ached for our lost family, we all surrounded the dead couple, unsheathed our swords and stabbed them into the sand, forming a circle as a sign of respect. We knelt down and bowed our heads in mourning for the star-crossed lovers. Kaya approached Salim's and Salira's bodies and performed an Islamic Prayer, asking Allah to welcome them into heaven. Kaya finished the prayer and we all turned to leave except for Carpet, who would not leave them.

"Let us go, brothers, and leave them in peace." I said as I wiped a tear from my eye, thinking of what we all lost. We lost a brother and a sister; and I lost the one who does my laundry, now I will have to do it myself, ugh! The others took a deep breath and bowed down before our dead family and then began to turn away.

"NO WAIT! LOOK!" The Panther shouted. I quickly turned around to see a golden glow seeping out from under Carpet, who lifted up off of Salim and Salira. Once Carpet uncovered them, we all could see that the glow was surrounding them. I took a step closer to find the slashes and talon marks on Salira's back were sealing up. The glow grew brighter to a point where we all covered our eyes. After the glow died down, we all saw something that made our hearts heal and beat rapidly.

Salira's outfit was as good as new; all of her fur was intact; and there wasn't a mark on her. It was like she was never touched. Suddenly, she began to stir. She groaned out and opened her sapphire eyes. She looked around and then down at Salim as he began to stir. Salira smiled, cupped his cheek, and kissed his lips.

"Wake up, darling." She whispered so softly that I could barely hear. He groaned and opened his eyes. It was quiet until Salim reached up and stroked Salira's furry cheek.

"Salira?" He whispered. She smiled and nodded before she was pulled down into his arms. My brothers, Kaya and I could not hold it in any longer as we cheered, bringing the couple's attention to us. Salim picked himself up, bringing Salira with him. They both smiled as we surrounded them.

"But how? We saw you both there, lying dead." I said. We all looked at them waiting for an answer. They merely looked at each other in shock and then shrugged at us.

"The bond!" Kaya exclaimed, causing us all to look at her.

"What do you mean Kaya?" Salira asked.

"I know a little about the soul mate bond: If your love for each other is strong enough, then death would turn backwards for only one time. Salira, you refused to give into Clockwerk, giving away Salim's location and gave your life in an attempt to save him. And Salim, you did the same for Salira. I have never seen or felt a more powerful love." Kaya explained. Salira and Salim smiled at each other and Salira snuggled into Salim's side as they held onto each other tightly with joy.

"I knew that our love would overcome anything, even Clockwerk!" Salim exclaimed as he strokes Salira's hair and tail fur.

"Does this mean that Clockwerk is gone for good?" I asked. Salira sadly shook her head.

"Unfortunately, I only took out one of his eyes; infuriating him. If there's one thing I know about Clockwerk, it's that he will stop at nothing to get what he wants; and that's to end the Cooper Legacy and preserve his immortality with the blood from my heart. I guarantee that we have not seen the last of that metal freak!" She explained.

"Let's forget about that bird and celebrate! Clockwerk failed at killing me and Salira; and we are still together!" Salim exclaimed.

"YEAH!" We all shouted as we made our way back home, happy that we are all still together.

* * *

(Sly POV)

After a few months of working with the gang to find Salira, I pretty much lost hope. Salira would be dead by now, and it is all my fault! I promised my father that I would keep my sister safe, and I failed. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that I was in the company of the lovely Inspector Carmelita Fox.

I was standing on our balcony in a tuxedo staring out into the city, basking in my failure, when I felt her quickly approach me. On pure instinct, I turned, put my hands up in fear that she would cuff me; only for her to reach up and fix my bowtie. I smiled sheepishly at her, causing her to laugh and then snuggle into my chest. I was so glad that Carmelita believed that I had amnesia, when in reality, I didn't. This allowed me to actually have a chance at a relationship with Carmelita and see where it took us. When I was being crushed by Dr. M's monster, that was all I thought about. After everything I've been through, Carmelita was finally by my side. This was perfect, because she kept me distracted from my pain at losing my beloved sister. I knew that if Carmelita ever found out that I lied to her about having amnesia, I would be at the wrong end of that Shock Pistol of hers. But lately, keeping up the pretense has been very difficult.

In fact, during our date at Le Paradox's museum, one of his latest treasure exhibits caught my eye. And that is when I realized: I needed to pull a heist. And knowing that Le Paradox was nowhere near innocent, with everything he's done to my sister and how I have constantly heard him badmouth about her ever since she stole those desert jewels before her abduction, I knew I found my target. The way he talks about her, makes me want to smash his head with my cane! Now I just need to come up with a plan.

* * *

 _Ha! Clockwerk has failed and won't be seen again for a long time. The game is about to begin and I plan on twisting it up big time! Last time I asked you all to find different parts of chapter 4 that belonged in different movies and games. Here they are._

 _Salira's outfit: Princess Jasmine from Aladdin_

 _The Sultan taxing heavily on "Parasites and Spongers": Ratigan from The Great Mouse Detective_

 _Salira's ex colling for his mama, her little "boo boo" needs help: Lord Argos from Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time_

 _Sultan's Mystic Blue Diamond: Aladdin._

 _Sultan grabbing Salira's tail, making her tickle his ear to get him to let go: The legend of Ichabod and Mr. Toad_

 _Sly's jabbering about pasta sauce: Sly 3: Honor among Thieves_

 _Sly's photo and story of the antique watch: Sly Cooper Short Video: Timing is Everything_

 _That's all of them. When you review, I want you to tell me how many you guessed without looking at the answers._

 _Fair warning, it may take me longer to post as I will be more focused on my schooling and finding a new job. But I will post when I can. Thank you for your patience. Farewell!_

 _Ya Ibn el Sharmouta: You son of a b****_

 _Wadaeaan: Goodbye_


	6. Chapter 6

_Salam and good day my fine readers. I am so sorry for taking so long. The past few months have be loco for me! I lost my job in February and stayed focus on finding a job and then I had finals coming up. Good news is I passed my Finals with flying colors and I am settled into my new job. I should not take that long to post anymore, but no promises! I hope this chapter was well worth the wait._

 _I don't own Sly Cooper or any of the known characters in the game. I have created more new characters for this story so I take credit for them._

 _Read, Review, Enjoy!_

* * *

(Le Paradox POV)

I was pacing around in my office, with a lot of thoughts in my head: Salira, my plans for the Coopers, my museum, Salira, my other plans, did I mention Salira? That glorious leopard was a true jem; had a lot of fire within her, and would make the perfect Lady Le Paradox. I knew very well that Salira came from a long line of thieves, just like me and Cooper. The merging of our families would make me, err, us unstoppable. But unfortunately, wooing her failed. I was so close to making her mine forever, but that insolent girl had the nerve to end our engagement and run back to her sniveling brother and his Interpol shrew! No matter, soon I will have her back and she WILL be mine, whether she wants to or not. My thoughts and pacing were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Yes?" I shouted. The door opened only for that annoying elephant with horrible music taste, Ms. Decibel to poke her head through and smile sweetly at me.

"Hello Cyrille, you called for us?" She asked with her British accent while batting her eyes at me. I rolled my eyes without her seeing. She has this silly crush on me, but I cannot stand her. Plus, I am already taken. But no matter, I can use her feelings to my advantage. She is willing to do anything for me. I faked a smile and welcomed her in. Following her was a gangster I met named, Toothpick. Ridiculous name, I say.

"Ah yes, come in my dear." I said gently. She and Toothpick stopped to stand before me. I cleared my throat and began the meeting, not noticing that a certain, wretched raccoon thief working on breaking into my beautiful museum.

"Now as you both should know, I am sending you on a crucial mission. You are to go in time and capture the Cooper from that time. El Jefe has been sent Feudal Japan to deal with the Ninja Cooper, Rioichi. I sent Grizz to deal with the first Cooper, And I successfully drew the Cooper Gang Turtle's girlfriend away from him, and sent her to Medieval England to deal with that idiotic Cooper Knight. Now, where should I send you two?" I asked, as I started to pace again. I wanted the most famous of the Cooper Clan to be disposed of, and I could think of two more.

"If I may, boss. I always thought of myself as a gunslinger. And the Cooper of the Old West, Tennessee Kid Cooper was one of the most legendary Coopers of them all. Perhaps you could send me to there and I could deal with that outlaw?" Toothpick offered. I smirked at his thinking. Not only would I be rid of one of the top 5 most famous Coopers, but I can also place Decibel somewhere she would be miserable.

" _Magnifique!_ That is just what I had in mind. And that leaves only you, _Mademoiselle."_ I said. An ugly smile grew on her large face, as if she was hoping I would go easy on her, au contraire. I smiled devilishly and folded my fingers in front of me.

"I am giving you a most difficult task, my dear. I am sending you to Ancient Arabia. You are to find Salim Al Kupar and capture him and his gang of thieves. Use your hypnotic to control those thieves to make forgeries of royal documents, and make sure they are fool-proof, or you will suffer severely!" I finished with a threat. And with delight, I saw her flinch at my demanding tone and threat.

"Of course, Cyrille, darling. I will make sure nothing goes wrong." She squeaked. I nodded and walked back to my desk and pulled out 2 photos of the same thing.

"One more thing, while on your assignments, I want you to be on the lookout for this Arabian Leopard. Her name is Salira Panthera. She is not to be harmed. And once you find her, notify me immediately, is that clear?" I instructed as I gave them each a photo of the leopard I rightfully deserve. Looking at Decibel, I could see her glaring at the glorious cat and crumpling the picture. I raised an eyebrow and cleared my throat.

"Is there something you wish to say?" I asked. The glare was wiped from her face and replaced with fake innocence.

"I'm just curious as to why you want us to capture this twit?" She said. I narrowed my eyes at the insult to my future bride.

"Do not insult her, mademoiselle. Let's just say she is the key to my success in getting rid of the Cooper Clan, permanently. Do not disobey me! Should I find a single imperfection on her, you will be punished severely. Is that understood?!" I demanded. They all nodded frantically. " _Tres bien!_ Now follow me, and I shall escort you to your destinations." I said and they followed me to my time machine. I quickly programmed the time machine to Ancient Arabia so I can finally get that annoying elephant out of my fur. As soon as she was off the blimp, I immediately took off to the Old West and dropped Toothpick off in a small town known as "Cotton Mouth Bluff", before returning home.

* * *

(10 years later in Ancient Arabia)

(Salira POV)

After Clockwerk tried and failed at killing me and Salim, we were left in peace and had an amazing life together. Immediately after the attack, Salim and I got married. It was the happiest day of my life. If only Sly, Carmelita, and the gang were here to witness it, then it would've been the perfect day. Ah well. Anyway, 3 months later after the wedding, Allah blessed me and Salim with two beautiful children. By some miracle, I gave birth to a raccoon who was the spitting image of his father with my blue eyes, and an Arabian Leopard like me, but with Salim's brown eyes. Their names were Aesha Carmelita and Amir Sly Al Kupar; in honor of two of the most important critters in my life. They became the crown jewels of the Forty Thieves. After that very moment of their both, they all became the doting uncles they were, and the children were spoiled, even when they reached adulthood.

When the 40 Thieves began to dwindle down, as they started to retire, Aesha and Amir decided to follow in their parents footsteps and continue the Cooper and Panthera Legacies by becoming master thieves. My precious children have grown and flourished into strong and sneaky thieves. Aesha inherited my looks and was highly desired by many, including some of the thieves, which caused Salim to seal them in magic lamps for 3 days, until he saw fit to release them. Aesha and I felt bad for those thieves. Only Amir agreed with the punishments. Amir and Salim were slightly overprotective when it came to me and my daughter, but that was ok. Our family was perfect and nothing could separate us, or so I thought.

Salim and I have decided that it was time for us to retire and time for our children to take over. We have done many grand heists together, but have grown old and weary. Salim has changed much throughout the years. He has lost some of his muscle and his clothes have changed to a White shirt that covered everything and emerald green pantaloons. He had grown a full and thick white beard and mustache. And he has gotten crankier than he used to be. The children and I just laugh when he has his fits. As for me, I haven't changed much, I still have the form I was proud to show off, especially to Salim. The only difference is that my hair had changed from pure black to black with some grey stripes through it, but Salim still looks at me like I was a goddess sent from the heavens.

Just as Salim and I were talking about our retirement, both of our children came running into the hideout, out of breath.

"Mama, Papa!" Aesha shouted.

"Aesha, what's wrong, my darling?" Salim asked her as Amir caught up with her.

"I don't think you should retire just yet, Father. While Aesha and I were out on the city, we saw something odd. A huge gathering in the square. Come up on the roof and look." He said before he and Aesha ran back outside. Salim and I looked at each other and followed them outside with the rest of the thieves.

Sure enough, we all saw a large gathering in the square, and at the center was a large female elephant with a horn in her trunk on a floating throne. All our eyes narrowed as she began throwing gold coins around and then the people bowed down to her. Judging by her clothing, she wasn't from here, or even from this time. She surprised me by looking straight in my direction and glared at me like she wanted me dead. Something did not seem right here; if this elephant came from a different time, then how did she get here and what is she up to? I was about to say something to Salim when I saw a glint in his eyes that I have seen so many times, both here and back in my time with Sly: Salim wants to pull one last heist. I was always eager to pull off a heist with my husband and children but this one frightens me. Before I could object, Salim and the children turned to the thieves and began cooking up a plan to rob the elephant. I rolled my eyes and joined them while thinking " _I just know I am going to regret this!"_

That very night, the remaining thieves; Lion, Tiger, and Panther; Salim, the children and I made our way to the palace where the elephant decided to stay after that corrupted Sultan left. I was to enter the palace from the roof like before and the others were to go through the catacombs below and I was to let them in. Everything was going perfectly. I gracefully landed on the ground and snuck past the sleeping guards to the hidden trapdoor. The Panther, Lion, and Tiger came through, but just before Salim and the Children could come up, the lights turned on and a loud alarm started to sound off. My heart was racing in panic as I slammed the trapdoor on Salim's Head unintentionally and kept him and the children out. Immediately after I heard Salim's shout, a large net fell on me and the thieves; and the guards surrounded us as we tried and failed at escaping. The net was removed and I was harshly yanked up by my arms and pushed forward, as were the other thieves. We were forced into a room where that elephant stood with the one person I never wanted to see again by her side; Cyrille Le Paradox!

"Well, well, well! We meet again mon Cherie. I must say, age hasn't done a thing to your beauty, my dear." He said while grabbing my chin. I tried to bite his paw, only for him to chuckle.

"Hands off, you stinking weasel!" I growled at him, only causing him to chuckle again.

"Still have that lovely fire within you I see. I just knew that you would be perfect." He said as he called the elephant he called "Ms. Decibel" forward. In her hands she was holding what looked like, to my absolute horror, a magic lamp.

"For what?!" I snapped at him. He ignored me and began rubbing the lamp. As a result, a genie appeared before Le Paradox and bowed down before him.

"What is your final wish, oh Master?" He said. Le Paradox then glanced over at me again and smiled evilly at me.

"I wish, for Salira Panthera to fall desperately in love with me!" He declared. I gasped in horror along with Ms. Decibel and closed my eyes, wanting to be back with my husband and children. I heard the snapping of fingers and felt magic flow through me, yet, I felt nothing have changed. To prove it, Le Paradox lifted my chin to try and kiss me and I gave him a little gift where the sun doesn't shine. The thieves laughed their tails off as Le Paradox bent over to grasp his family jewels while groaning in pain, and I just smirked at his pain. He growled in frustration and then snapped at the genie that was still in the room.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" He shouted, throwing another one of his tantrums, causing me to roll my eyes.

"There is only one thing, that could prevent my magic from forcing her to love you master. Salira Panthera is bonded to another male as his soul mate." The genie explained. Le Paradox's eyes widened and then narrowed in supposed betrayal at me. He backhanded me, causing me to fall to the ground while Decibel smirked at me.

"You have been a naughty little kitty, haven't you _mon Cherie?"_ He said as the guards snatched me off the ground. He then turned back to the genie.

"Since that wish failed, do I still have my last wish?" He asked. I closed my eyes, praying that the genie would say "no". Unfortunately, my prayer was not answered.

"Yes, master. You still have one last wish." The genie said. Le Paradox gestured him to come forward and then whispered in the genie's ear. The genie then bowed down and floated over to me. My eyes widened in fear of not knowing what that weasel wished for. The genie waved a hand in front of my face and suddenly, I felt all of my strength fail me and then I collapsed onto the hard ground as I felt the genie's magic flow through me.

* * *

(Amir POV)

After Mother kept me, Aesha, and Father from going through the trap door into the palace, I managed to sneak into the Palace, only to see something that made me see red in rage; my mother being harassed by a pompous skunk. While listening in, I overheard him saying that they have met before. When Aesha and I were little, Mother told me about her adventures with Uncle Sly and his gang and how she got here and met Father. That must've been where they've met before. This skunk clearly wanted mother for himself, but that was not going to happen; I will not allow it! It took all of my self-control to not jump down there and bash the skunk's head into the wall when I saw him trying to force a kiss on mother, but that quickly changed to not laughing so hard when she kicked him in his private area. I winced and growled when he hit her. I wanted to kill him then and there. Suddenly, just before I jumped down there, my mother collapsed and a web of magic surrounded her. My eyes widened in shock and fear as I saw her change. She regained the muscle and hourglass figure she used to have and the grey stripes in her hair as it darkened to the pure black color it was when Aesha and I were kids. I gritted and clenched my teeth when I realized that filthy weasel must've wished Mother to be young again; but why?

Mother quickly awoke and looked down at herself in shock. I heard her growl and prepare to pounce on the skunk. But before she could, the elephant blew her trunk and horrible music came out. I quickly covered my ears and watched at how Mother removed herself from her pouncing stance and just stood there staring at the skunk with what looked like love in her eyes. It took everything in me to not hurl as I watched the skunk pull mother close and kissed her paw while she smiled gently at him. That evil elephant must've charmed Mother like a snake and now she thinks that she's in love with that skunk instead of Father. This is not good. I turned away as the skunk escorted Mother out of the room and my uncles were taken away in a different direction while the elephant Mother and the skunk with a look of envy.

I quickly returned to the catacombs, only to see Father on the ground, having a hard time breathing while my sister was trying to relax him.

"FATHER!" I shouted as I crouched down in front of him.

"Papa, what's wrong?!" Aesha exclaimed while rubbing his back.

"It's your mother; something happened to her. Our soulmate bond has weakened." He said weakly. I bowed my head in sorrow for what has been done to my Mother. Aesha saw it and then looked into my eyes.

"That horrible elephant had a genie. She gave it to some skunk and he wished Mother to be young again. Then that elephant hypnotized her. Mother thinks she is now in love with that skunk and not you, Father." I explained. Aesha gasped and began to cry. I pulled my sister into my arms as she sobbed into my fur, and looked over at Father. As expected, he was furious. He stood up and clenched his cane so hard, it looked like it was about to break in half. He then took a deep breath and looked at me again as I carried Aesha in my arms since she passed out from crying in my arms.

"What about the others?" Father asked. I shook my head.

"I don't know, they were taken away after the skunk and elephant left with Mother." I said. He sighed and turned to leave the Catacombs. I stayed where I was.

"Wait Father, what about Mother?" I asked in worry. Father looked like he was giving up. But that is impossible, he loves Mother, right?

"We can't stay here, son. But I promise, I will get your mother back, along with your uncles." He swore. I looked back at the trapdoor and then sighed as I reluctantly followed Father back home.

* * *

(Sly POV)

As I watched Bentley duke it out with his ex-girlfriend, Penelope, I couldn't help but think of the night I robbed the museum and the conversation I overheard that night.

(Flashback to night of museum robbery)

I had a hard time focusing on the plan to steal from Le Paradox, cause all I could think about was how much I missed Salira and how I failed to protect her. There was no way that she survived Clockwerk and was most likely dead. I fell into depression that even Carmelita was worried about me. Bentley arrived at mine and Carmelita's place. At first I was happy to see him, until he led me to the hideout and explained to me that the Thievius Raccoonus was changing. I pulled the book out and saw the whole scary picture, the entries from my Cooper ancestors were being erased in front of my eyes. I glared at the book when I realized what was happening; someone was messing with my family and literally erasing Cooper History. For the first time since Salira was kidnapped, I was actually anxious about something. Before I could ponder more on this issue. Bentley already had a solution, Time Travel. He had used the research that he found on Clockwerk's time traveling ability and used it to build his own time machine. The plan was to travel through time and fix the mess that was made and find out who the heck is messing with my family and give them a piece of my mind! I was to sneak up to the skylight and drop down to a Japanese dagger to use in the time machine. On my way there, I heard the word "Arabian Leopard" said in an office at the museum. I froze at that word and hid behind a statue to listen in on the conversation. The conversation was muddled together but I did hear "Leopard" "Lookout", and "her". It sounded like whoever was talking was after a female Arabian Leopard. It didn't make sense, how could anyone possibly know an Arabian Leopard around here and wanting to find her. But then, a strong though hit me. SALIRA! Could she possibly still be alive?! I quickly rushed away from that office and continued my way to the skylight.

"Sly, did I just hear a conversation about a Female Arabian Leopard?" Bentley asked through my earpiece.

"You sure did pal, and there is only one Arabian Leopard from around here that we know of! It can't be anyone else!" I exclaimed after I took out a guard that I stole the skylight key from.

"I think your theory is correct, Sly!" Bentley said. I wiped the tears from my eyes at the thought of my beloved sister still alive.

"I am praying that I am right, Bentley. I don't think I can take it, if I lost Salira too. She's all I have left of my family." I said, my voice was shaking.

"I know Sly. If Salira managed to escape Clockwerk and is still alive, we'll find her, wherever the heck he took her; I promise!" Bentley declared.

"Thanks pal. That means a lot to me." I said. Moments later, the lasers shut off and I repelled down to the dagger. I quickly swiped it but before I could repel back up, the lights turned on.

"What the…" I exclaimed in shock.

"You didn't really think you would get away with it, did you Ringtail?!" Carmelita said, pointing her shock pistol in my face.

"Hey, Carmelita! Funny meeting you here." I said sheepishly while placing the dagger in my leg pouch.

"Sly Cooper, you no-good lying thief…" Carmelita began before I interrupted her and made her freeze in her stand.

"Carmelita listen to me! Salira may be alive!" I told her. She gasped and put down the shock pistol.

"What?!" She exclaimed. I dropped down to the floor and approached her, but stopped when she aimed her pistol at me again and glared at me with a growl.

"Look, I have a very reasonable explanation as to why I did this, but listen. I just overheard someone here, he's after a Female Arabian Leopard and he is sending his lackeys to who knows where to find her." I explained. She just gaped at me and lowered the pistol again.

"Salira?" She asked.

"Possibly. We discovered that Clockwerk had the ability to travel through time. Carmelita, please! I must find her! I have to know that she's alive!" I begged to Carmelita to not arrest me. I just got to find my sister. I could tell that Carmelita was having an internal war with herself. In the end, the side that cares about Salira more than her police work won the battle.

"Just this once, Cooper! You've got a lot of explaining to do when you get back! I'll stay here and see what I can scrounge up! I hope you find her, Cooper!" She said. I sighed in relief and repelled up and out of sight.

* * *

(End flashback)

It was that evening that hope built up inside of me. I was praying that my sister was alive. I've asked every ancestor we've met if they have seen her, but no one has. Carmelita was thrown into the Old West and rescued by Tennessee Kid Cooper. After they broke the gang and me out of prison, she explained to me that Le Paradox was behind the black-market case that she was investigating and then tied it together to figure out that it was Le Paradox that was after Salira and behind this whole-time travel mess. Well he is not going to touch her! I won't allow it! I am not going to give up until I have real evidence that Salira is dead. Bentley finally knocked out Penelope and moved the destroyed mech off of my foot and helped me over to the others. Carmelita bandaged my foot while Bentley reached out to Dimitri for an update on the Thievius Raccoonus. His image popped up and all he did was go on about sandstorms and camel spit. He then showed an image of my Arabian ancestor, Salim Al Kupar. It was clear that ancient Arabia was our next stop. We quickly packed up the van and took off. As we travelled through time, the hope I had for my system began to dim. But I still prayed that she would still be alive and that I would find her soon.

 _Please be alive Salira!_

* * *

 _OH NO! Le Paradox finally got what he wanted! Will Sly be able to save her, or will Le Paradox finally get the girl, permanently? I have big plans for the children and Salira! Stay tuned for more!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Salam and good day my fine readers. I present to you, another chapter. This one made me cry a little bit, but in a good way. The game begins!_

 _I don't own Sly Cooper or any of the known characters in the game. I have created more new characters for this story so I take credit for them._

 _Read, Review, Enjoy!_

* * *

(Sly POV)

We traveled to Ancient Arabia to find Salim Al Kupar, an ancestor of mine said to possess the stealth of 40 thieves. No surprise then, when Bentley's research revealed that he was a charter member of the infamous Forty Thieves! For once, it appeared we'd have plenty of backup to help out with this job.

However, when we arrived, we were shocked to discover that most of the thieves had already retired! Having made their fortunes and gotten older, they decided to live out the rest of the golden years, in peace.

What wasn't shocking, was the unmistakable presence of Cyrille Le Paradox! Nasty looking guards patrolled everywhere, and it was clear that something sinister was going on!

After some detective work, Bentley had even worst news. No one had heard from or seen Salim Al Kupar for some time! He had been working with a few of the remaining thieves but had simply vanished! So, where was he? That was the first thing we had to find out, then I had to know if Salim knew where Salira is.

Immediately after we settled into the old hideout of the Forty Thieves, I quickly grabbed my binocucom and went to see the lay of the land. When I arrived on the rooftops, I saw guards patrolling everywhere, so I decided to look around. My cooper skills sensed a lot of guards carrying loot in their pockets, so I decided to empty out the pockets for them. While pickpocketing my fifth victim, I had the feeling that someone was watching me, but when I turned around after taking out the guard, I saw no one. Then my binocucom vibrated, alerting me that Bentley was calling.

"Ok Sly, word on the street is that Salim Al Kupar was driven into hiding with some of the other thieves, but they are still in the area. We need to figure out where they are hiding and then find out why. To facilitate that, I built you a new toy." Bentley explained. I smirked and decided to mess with him.

"Cool, is it a robotic turtle butler?" I asked sarcastically. Bentley slumped in his wheelchair and facepalmed.

"No, after gathering data from your ancestors, I've been able to map the Cooper DNA! I've modified your Binocucom with a new visual guidance system that I've programmed to detect anything with which Salim Al-Kupar may have come into contact with." He explained. I was really impressed now.

"Wow, Bentley! That's some real science fiction." I said before hanging up and looking around. I followed the signal on my binocucom to a lamp shop, filled to the brim with fancy looking lamps. The signal was through the roof in here, so I used my binocucom and found fingerprints glowing on most of these lamps. I quickly took a picture for Bentley and he quickly responded.

"Wow! I wonder if Salim was trying to summon a genie from one of these lamps. He must be really desperate about something." Bentley exclaimed. I nodded and was about to leave until I saw a large green door at the end of the room. I took a picture because that was like no door that I've seen from around here. Bentley was faster to respond to this one.

"Sly, that door definitely doesn't belong here! I'm gonna need to analyze that one." He said before disconnecting. I left the lamp shop after Bentley told me that he needed more data. I followed the signal to a remote place with lavish pillows on the ground. Before I took a picture, I noticed something different than the lamp shop, instead of one glow in the area, there were two. I took a picture for Bentley and then my bincucom vibrated instantly.

"SLY! Salim was definitely here, but there is something else. My analysis was not only picking up Cooper DNA, but also PANTHERA DNA!" He exclaimed in shock. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped as I landed on my knees.

"Bentley, did you just say 'Panthera DNA'?" I asked, making sure I wasn't imagining this.

"Yes I did Sly. I modified your binocucom to also pick up on Panthera DNA so we could try to find Salira while we're here." Bentley explained.

"Does this mean what I think it means?" I asked, begging for the answer I wanted.

"Don't get your hopes up, Sly. Either her ancestor is still around, or it really is Salira! Either way, if she was here, Salim will be able to tell us. Just keep searching, I need more data." Bentley said. I nodded and kept looking. I found a comb with some of Salim's fur in the teeth and a camel that Salim purchased for a test drive. But before I could take another step, a streak of white flew by in front of me and over the rooftops. I used my binocucom and discovered that it was an ARABIAN LEOPARD?! I quickly ran after her with Bentley yelling in my ear.

"Sly, my scanners are maxing out on that female leopard, don't lose her!" Bentley exclaimed.

"That's not gonna happen, Bentley!" I yelled as I ran after her. Damn she's fast! I finally caught up to her, but before I could grab her hand to stop her, she turned and kicked me in the face, causing me to fall down face-first. As I caught my breath, she grabbed my head fur and made me look at her as she glared at me.

"Who do you think you are, following…" She began but didn't finish. The glare on her face melted into shock as she let go of me and backed away while clutching her chest, breathing heavily. As I looked at her, I realized she looked just like my sister but with brown eyes. Before I said something, I heard a shout.

"AESHA!" A male raccoon quickly joined us and my jaw dropped. He looked just like me, but with sapphire blue eyes. He glared at me and stormed forward.

"Were you trying to hurt my sister?!" He asked threateningly. The leopard known as Aesha, tried to push him back by the chest before he could bash me with his CANE?! Who were these guys?!

"Amir, stop! Look at him!" she exclaimed. Amir stopped approaching and looked me up and down and gasped. Then he backed away and stumbled with his sister supporting him. He regained his balance and pointed his cane at me, which almost looked at mine, as they both stared at me in wonder.

"You! Are you Sly Cooper?" He asked, looking sternly at me. I was shocked! How did he know my name? I didn't answer, only nodded. Aesha gasped and pulled Amir away for a moment.

"He's here to help us! He has to be!" She exclaimed. The two of them bantered and argued before turning back to me.

"Who are you guys, and how do you know who I am?" I asked. They both smiled at me.

"I am Amir Sly Al-Kupar, Son of Salira Panthera Al-Kupar and Salim Al-Kupar." Amir said pointing to himself.

"And I am Aesha Carmelita Al-Kupar, Daughter of Salira Panthera Al-Kupar and Salim Al-Kupar." Aesha joined in after her brother finished.

My jaw dropped. These guys were Salira's CHILDREN?! That means she's still alive, and she named her children after me and Carmelita! It was all too much for me to bear and I dropped my cane and fell to my knees. My eyes were overfilled with tears and I hid them from my, apparent, niece and nephew. I felt a small paw on my shoulder and saw Aesha smiling with tears in her eyes.

"We know who you are, Uncle Sly! Mama told us all about you and your adventures." She said. I smiled at my new title and pulled Aesha into my arms as she reciprocated the hug. I then stood up while Amir helped Aesha up.

"Why are you here, Uncle Sly?" Amir asked. I then explained to them what I was up to.

"I need to find your mom and dad. Where are they?" I asked. I saw tears build in Aesha's eyes as Amir pulled her into his arms and soothed her.

"We'll take you to Father, but Mother is in trouble. Now that you're here, we can get her away from that wretched skunk that captured her and our other uncles!" Amir said as he and Aesha was about to take off. I froze in my step after Amir finished explaining.

"LE PARADOX?!" I growled out in fury. Amir and Aesha turned around and looked at me in shock.

"You know him, Uncle?" Aesha asked. I nodded and then explained to them who that weasel was. Amir and Aesha were furious at the way Le Paradox treated Salira.

"What did Le Paradox do to your mom?" I asked. I get the feeling I will not like the answer.

"It's a long story, Uncle. Let's find Papa, and we'll tell you together." Aesha said. I nodded as I followed them down to the river. We stopped at a lavish boat. The two of them gestured me to go inside as they stood guard while I spoke to their dad. I walked through the curtains to see an elderly raccoon sitting on a loft eating a bowl of grapes.

"Greetings. You're Salim Al-Kupar, aren't you?" I asked. He stopped eating and glanced at me.

"And who are you?!" He snapped before turning back to his food.

"Uh… Well, that part's kind of complicated. I'm a thief like you but I'm kind of new in town and I ran into your kids just now. How about you guys come with me back to my hideout and I can explain myself?" I offered. He just glared at me and continued to eat.

"How about, you go lick a camel's hump!" He snapped back at me and finished eating. I just chuckled and continued.

"Ookaay. Look, I know you and your kids are in trouble and you want to get your wife back. I'm here to help. I can explain everything, but let's go where we can talk safely. Besides, you look hungry and I could tell your kids are hungry too, how'd you guys like some food?" I offered. His grouchiness went away and his eyes lit up.

"Food? Haha, it was foolish of you to not mention that in the first place? Let's go!" He said as he jumped up and wrapped an arm around my shoulder as I looked at him, weirded out.

I led Salim and his kids back to the hideout. Needless to say, everyone was shocked to find out that Salira was alive the whole time, AND had a family with Salim. Murray immediately started to call Aesha "Kitty", but unlike her mother, Aesha didn't tolerate that name and swatted at Murray. Amir laughed and explained that all her admirers called her that and she couldn't stand it. I wasn't surprised at all. Aesha was as beautiful as her mother, so it made sense that she had admirers.

Using Salira's cookbook, Carmelita made a huge feast for all of us. As Salim stuffed his face, he told us about his family's problem. Some new player, calling herself "Ms. Decibel" had suddenly rolled into town and started throwing lots of money around. It didn't take a genius to figure out the time traveling lieutenant was here. Salim, Salira, their children and the 3 remaining thieves decided to pull one last heist before disappearing into retirement and letting Aesha and Amir take over; Ms. Decibel, being the target. Of course, with her technology, she managed to capture Salira and her thief brothers, while Salim and their kids escaped. They have been trying to come up with a plan to free them and rescue Salira ever since. What really made me sick to my stomach and pissed off the entire gang, including Carmelita, was that Le Paradox ordered Ms. Decibel to hypnotize Salira and now she thinks that she is in love and due to be married to that filthy skunk himself! THAT WAS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

Bentley uncovered some interesting background information. Ms. Decibel had come from a wealthy British family. Her true love was Classical Music. Unfortunately, her complete lack of music talent coupled with an extreme temper made for a volatile combination. After suffering a freak accident during a tantrum, she was left unable to play music, normally. But when she discovered she can control people with her hypnotic tones, a new criminal was born! She began using her devious talents to control others, forcing them to commit crimes for her.

Then I asked about how Salim met Salira. Somehow, Clockwerk figured out that Salira happened to be Salim's soulmate, and aimed to use her to kill Salim before ending her in the same way he killed her ancestors; by drinking the blood from her heart, to gain permanent immortality since she was the last Panthera in line at the time. Luckily, he failed and left them alone ever since. After Clockwerk took Salira away, he just left her in the middle of the desert, and that was when Salim found her and they have been together ever since. I was happy that Salira found her true love, like she's been wishing, and I was not about to let a weasel like Le Paradox, take that away from her.

When I explained to Salim who I was; how close I was to Salira; and who Le Paradox was and why he wanted her, it all made some strange kind of sense to him. The bad news is that Salim wasn't completely convinced that we were here to help him and his family. Aesha and Amir were the only ones that believed me. I could see that I was gonna have to prove myself, again!

Bentley talked to the twins as they worked together to come up with a plan to get their dad to trust me, so he could let me help rescue his thief brothers and Salira. I couldn't believe how much has changed and how long Salira and I have been apart. The longest that we were apart was when Neyla betrayed us and we were separated when the Contessa arrested us. That was one of the first things I did after Bentley busted me out, find Salira and got her away from the Contessa before she could brainwash her. After that day, I kept her close to me at all times. Salira called me overprotective but I couldn't help it. She was the last part of my family left and I loved her. Now she's in the grimy paws of that little weasel. I have to get her back, especially for Salim and my niece and nephew. My thoughts were interrupted by Aesha placing her paw on my shoulder.

"Uncle, Bentley has a plan and Amir and I will help you." She said. I smiled and nodded at her as we all walked over to Bentley as he conducted one of his meetings.

"Okay, apparently Salim lost a small fortune betting on the camel races a while back and had to pawn his thief outfit. Sly, if we can buy that outfit back, I'm sure we can gain his trust." Bentley said. Amir took over.

"There's just one problem. The shopkeeper takes security very seriously. His shop is a fortress and he never leaves. All business is conducted through a slot in the door. We'll have to play it straight and pay the man what he wants." Amir said. We all nodded as Aesha took over.

"Being the slime ball that he is, he will not accept in any other form except gem stones, three to be exact. And the only gems of that quality around here are the decorative stones embedded on the city walls. Bentley and I have located the largest gemstones for you to barter with that shopkeeper. We will need to remove them, avoid the guards and get them to the shopkeeper. He won't accept them unless they are flawless." Aesha explained. Bentley handed Aesha and Amir a binocucom for both of them. They just looked at it with confusion and I just chuckled.

"These are called 'Binocucoms'. They will help you see better, and everyone else including myself, will be able to contact you through them." I explained. They just stared at them in awe, before Amir took Aesha's and stored them both in his tail.

All ready to go, the twins and I made our way through the city. Our binocucoms led us to 3 camel statues with the gems in their mouths. On a whim, I decided to use my cane to pull the nose-ring on the camel; causing the eyes to bulge out and the camel to groan. Aesha giggled as the tongue rolled out with the gem on each statue. I just grabbed the gems and looked at the statue weirdly. Having all three gems in our possession, we all made our way to the shop while avoiding the guards. We each had a gem as I kicked the door at the shop. The slot opened to show only a pair of suspicious eyes, glaring at us.

"What do you want?!" The shopkeeper snapped at us.

"We're here to buy the thief outfit, that my father gave to you." Amir said.

"Sorry, I do not believe some people such as yourselves could meet my price, good day!" The shopkeeper said and closed the slot.

"But…" Aesha began, but I stopped her and took control of the situation.

"Huh, that's a shame guys. I guess we will have to bet these flawless GEMS on the camel races." I said, while using "gems" enthusiastically.

"Wait! You three have gems, let me see!" The shopkeeper responded, his eyes bulging as he gazed upon the large gems in our arms. Catching my drift, Amir spoke to the shopkeeper next.

"These gems are so heavy, we can barely lift them. You want the gems; we want the outfit! Do we have a deal?" Amir offered.

"Indeed. You want these old rags, who am I to object?! All sales final; no returns! Hahahahaha!" The shopkeeper finished, laughing maniacally and slid the outfit through the slot. I grabbed it and put on. Amir and Aesha smiled at me as I checked out the outfit. Suddenly, a baboon guard tried to pounce on Aesha from behind. I waved the staff and time stopped, by my surprise. Aesha and Amir were not affected by it since they were Coopers. Aesha smirked and tripped the guard, causing us all to laugh as time sped up to normal again.

The twins and I decided to take a look around see if we could find anything on Decibel or even their mom. Bentley rang in moments later.

"Sly, I've been talking with Salim. He says that outfit was the key to his success. It was given to him by an actual genie that had the power to slow down time. Fascinating! I wonder if it somehow influenced you ancestor Matthew De La Coupeur's "Slow Motion Technique". In any event, only someone possessing the famed Cooper Focus could pull it off and be immune to the affects." Bentley explained. I nodded as we made our way to a closed gate. I looked around and saw a lever with a chain dangling. By jumping onto the lever, I was able to get the gate opened and the twins went through, but the gate closed before I could get through. Then I tried again and slowed down time long enough for me to pass through. After getting passed several gates, Bentley rang in.

"Great work Sly, but it seems we have another problem. Salim says that Ms. Decibel is constantly changing the location of the captured thieves and Salira, which makes them impossible to track. It's going to be- Hold on guys, I'm picking something up!" He said. The twins and I froze as two characters we hate the most came into view.

"Sly, Le Paradox is here, and he's meeting with Ms. Decibel right now!" he exclaimed. We all glared at the two of them as Le Paradox kissed Ms. Decibel's hand in respect, causing her to giggle.

"I think it's time for some eavesdropping. Don't you think so Uncle Sly?" Aesha whispered. I smirked as I heard Salira's sassiness in that comment.

"I couldn't agree more, Aesha." I said as we followed the two of them without being seen. Ms. Decibel sneezed and we climbed to the rooftops so we weren't caught.

"Perfect! And I just had my tail shampooed! That trunk of yours is one of a kind, _Cherie!_ Never change it!" Le Paradox groaned out and then complimented Decibel.

"Oh Cyrille, you're making me blush!" She said with a giggle. We all groaned in disgust and continued on. We stopped when they did and we listened to their conversation.

"So, please tell me that the operation is going according to plan." Le Paradox demanded.

"Of course, everything is progressing splendidly! I have those raggedy thieves completely under my control. Why I have never seen better forgeries, the documents they are producing are of the highest quality!" Decibel exclaimed with a proud smile on her ugly face.

"Perfect! Once I get them to the present day, and my royal lineage is "discovered", my wealth and power will be unstoppable! _And Salira Panthera shall be my queen!"_ He finished, while whispering that last comment that made our blood boil. We growled at the thought of Salira with that weasel, that was NOT going to happen!

"Well, there is one teensy little problem. We still have to feed our little worker bees, but our supplies are running low. The one who calls himself "The Panther" seems to work best when I feed him scorpion claws, DISGUSTING!" Decibel said while gagging. I wasn't too far behind, yet the twins were licking their lips. I rolled my eyes with a smile at them.

"Very well, I shall have some delivered immediately. Whatever it takes to keep these vermin working. Oh, and one more thing, tell your guards that if they do not capture Cooper, I will have them all fired and then executed!" Le Paradox warned, before they began walking again. We all looked at each other in shock and fear.

"My Allah, he's trying to create forgeries that will make him royalty!" Aesha exclaimed with a growl.

"And he plans on forcing Mother to marry him!" Amir growled out as well. I sighed and placed my paws on both of their shoulders.

"I won't let that happen to your mom, I promise!" I swore to them. They smiled at me and we continued to follow the two criminals.

"Tell me, what do you think of this little sandpit?" Le Paradox asked. We rolled our eyes as Decibel acted like a drama queen and placed a hand on her chest and the back of her other hand against her forehead.

"Well darling, this dry environment plays absolute havoc with my sinuses. My music practice has been atrocious lately! Would you like to hear?" She asked. We covered our ears quickly but Le Paradox stopped, thankfully.

"Not really, but I want you to hear me: Do not fail me like those other idiots, _Cheri,_ I would hate to see you stranded here…Permanently!" Le Paradox threatened. Decibel started nodding and shaking frantically.

"Oh, I uh… I'll make sure that doesn't happen!" She said nervously.

"Good! Because the others have failed me. Even Penelope, and she was the smart one! Now I have to turn my back on her! You understand?" Le Paradox asked. Decibel was nodding frantically.

"Oh yes, of course. Everything will go precisely as planned. Uh… although, I must trouble you for some, Camel Cheese? Absolutely horrid stuff, but the thief called "The Tiger" seems to rely on it, and our reserves are almost depleted!" She asked. I really had trouble keeping it down after that.

"Can't we starve these filthy hoodlums into submission?! Ugh, fine! I will send the delivery boy!" Le Paradox groaned. I was green at the thought of Camel Cheese. Bentley quickly responded.

"More deliveries! Are you thinking what I'm thinking?! Camel Cheese, EWWWWWW!" Bentley exclaimed in our ears. We came to another gate and stopped to listen more.

"So anymore requests?" Le Paradox asked.

"No sweetums, I believe that's all. As soon as the documents are completed I will deliver them personally!" Decibel announced. We watched as a sly smile crept its' way onto the skunks face.

" _Magnifique,_ then I should have them very soon!" Le Paradox exclaimed.

"Oh wait, there is one last itty bitty thing, the one called "The Lion" seems to favor Cobra Tails. And you know how troublesome those are to obtain." Decibel requested.

"Fine! You shall have them! But, I better get those documents quickly!" Le Paradox demanded. Before they could turn away, we saw Le Paradox stop in his tracks.

"Wait, I don't recall you mentioning that our other honored guest, "The Leopard" requires anything. She better be well cared for and NOT starving!" Le Paradox said. I heard Amir and Aesha gasp from my left and right and saw that they were gaping at Le Paradox. I looked back to see Decibel was gritting her teeth and narrowed her eyes without Le Paradox seeing it. Looks like someone is jealous!

"Surprisingly dear, "The Leopard" has been less of a bother than her filthy brothers! She remains rather quiet. But yes, she is very well taken care of." Decibel grumbled. Le Paradox narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Very good, make sure Cooper stays clear of her! If I discover that Cooper managed to take her away, then you will suffer the consequences." Le Paradox warned. Ms. Decibel nodded before they both entered a luxurious purple tent. I pulled Amir and Aesha back before they could leap down and attack Le Paradox, like they wanted to.

"Guys, what's wrong?" I asked, feeling their anger rolling off of them.

"Uncle Sly, 'The Leopard' is our mother. It's what our other uncles and Father called her." Amir explained. I narrowed my eyes at this information.

"Then she's the first one we rescue!" I said. They both nodded and Bentley called in.

"We have to find Salira before those documents are finished! I've got a crazy idea. That thief outfit may not work on the guards, but outsiders like Ms. Decibel and Le Paradox wouldn't know the difference. She's expecting deliveries for the thieves, right? Sly, use that outfit to impersonate the delivery boy. If they buy it, we'll know where the other thieves and Salira are being held!" Bentley explained.

"Right, and to make sure it's fool-proof, I'm going to use me…" I began before Bentley interrupted.

"NO SLY, DON'T SAY IT!" Bentley shouted as I turned my hat around

" _Italian Accent-a!"_ I said, switching accents while walking towards them

"I think Bentley said 'crazy' not 'suicidal', Uncle Sly!" Aesha said. I shook my head, changed into my thief disguise and made my way to the tent and walked in.

"And who is this little pipsqueak?" Le Paradox asked as soon as he saw me, with Ms. Decibel narrowing her eyes at me.

"Yes, identify yourself, immediately!" She demanded.

"It's-a me, the delivery boy-a. You-a called?" I said, using my Italian accent that Bentley hated.

"Hmm, I don't recognize your scruffy features!" Ms Decibel said.

"The other boy's-a out sick-a. Something about-a snake bites." I continued. Le Paradox glared at me and brought his head closer to mine.

"Is there something wrong with your voice?" He asked lowly. I began to sweat a little, but kept up the act.

"No-a, I've-a talked like-a this my-a whole life-a" I said, nervously.

"How droll!" Ms Decibel said. Le Paradox was suspicious of me as well.

"I see. Well if you're really the delivery person, then you should know the usual orders, _non?_ What food does the Panther require?" Le Paradox quizzed me.

"Why, The Panther-a loves the Scorpion-a Claws." I said confidently.

"Hmph, he appears to be legitimate. Also, please add the special steak meal I always request for the Leopard to that order" Le Paradox said turning away from me. I nodded in response only to see Decibel glaring at the special treatment that Salira appears to be getting from Le Paradox.

"Oh, thank goodness! Here are the delivery locations. HURRY UP PLEASE!" Decibel demanded as I left the tent after she shoved the map into my chest. The twins already left for the hideout to give Salim an update. I walked away looking at the map, when I saw something wrong with it. Before I could say something, Bentley called in.

"Sly, it's a good thing we're in Arabia. Because in Italy, that accent would be considered a FELONY!" Bentley said. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"Make fun of my accent later, Bentley! But right now we got a big problem. I'm sure you heard Le Paradox order a special meal for Salira, aka The Leopard, right?" I asked, with worry in my voice.

"Yeah, why?" Bentley asked also with fear in his voice.

"Because Salira's location is NOT on this map!" I said with a growl.

"WHAT?! Decibel must be so jealous of Salira, that she's been lying to Le Paradox and letting her starve! We won't be able to rescue her from Le Paradox unless we know where she's being held."

"If Decibel hasn't been feeding her, then Salira is probably very weak. We need to find her!" I exclaimed, even more worried for my sister now.

"I know, Sly. We will find her, I promise I will figure something out. Just bring that map back to the hideout so we can start coming up with a plan to rescue the thieves." Bentley said. I nodded as I sadly made my way back to the hideout, not knowing if my sister was ok.

* * *

 _Uh oh! Since Decibel hasn't been keeping Salira fed, how is the family and the gang supposed to rescue our beloved Salira! Stay tuned for more!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Salam and good day my fine readers! I apologize for taking so long to get this chapter out to you. Things have gotten really crazy. First I took some time off to go to a Country Music Festival for a few days. Then I lost my job again. Finally, I was in Alabama for over a week. On top of all that, I had the idea for the chapter but had trouble building it. But I finally have the chapter you've all been waiting for. And now that I have time on my hands, I hope to get chapters out to you faster, but I have no guarantees. I will try my best._

 _I don't own Sly Cooper or the game. I only take credit for the creation of Salira, the twins, and any other character that was not in the game._

 _Read, review, PM, and Enjoy!_

* * *

(Salim POV)

My children and descendant returned to the hideout with the worst news, my darling wife was locked up and that evil elephant was keeping her hidden and uncared for; all because she wanted that horrid skunk's affections and Salira was receiving them. I was out of my mind with worry. It has been months since she and my brothers were captured and who knows how long she has gone on without food! We must find her before we lose her forever, whether it would be by death or by that evil skunk who aims to take her as HIS wife! I was not going to give her up without a fight!

I was sitting in mine and Salira's resting area, holding the ring I gave to her the day we married. I have never been so frightened in my whole life; not even when Clockwerk was hunting me down. I clenched the ring gently in my fist, sending a prayer to Allah to keep Salira safe and alive long enough for us to rescue her. My prayer ended when I felt a paw on my shoulder. I looked up to see Sly's lady friend, Carmelita as she took a seat beside me.

"Salim, are you ok?" She asked. I sighed and shook my head in sorrow.

"I fear for my Salira, Carmelita. That elephant is so envious of her, that she is willing to let her die to get rid of her. I can't lose her. My children need her and I need her!" I whispered as tears fell from my eyes. My shoulders shook as I sobbed quietly. Carmelita hugged me and helped me stand up.

"We all love her, Salim; and she knows that. We'll find her and we won't let that stinking weasel get her, I promise. Now, I came to get you because Bentley came up with a plan to rescue 'The Panther' and we need your climbing skills to get to him. Amir is going to help you as well. You two need to get going at the rendezvous point. Here, you'll need this; Amir already has one." She said as she handed me a strange contraption that looks like it's for the eyes. I looked at it for a little while until my son entered the room.

"Dad, we need to get going." He said before he left. I sighed and nodded. Carmelita stood beside and placed her paw on my shoulder again.

"Bentley's keeping track of the city. If Salira, by some miracle, leaves her prison, Bentley will find her." She explained before she left. I followed her and left the hideout with Amir after a hug from Aesha. We made our way to the front of the carpet shop. I felt a tingling feeling in my tail and pulled out the contraption and Amir told me to put it over my eyes like him. Three screens popped up. One showed myself, another showed my son, and the other showed Sly's turtle friend, Bentley.

"Okay you guys, we know that Ms. Decibel has 'The Panther' somewhere in that tower. Trying to go through the palace itself, would be impossible. Luckily this carpet shop is going to save us the trouble." Bentley explained. Amir nodded and I couldn't help but dive back into one of my favorite memories.

"Ah yes, Honest Hasaan's Carpets! He owns many, many shops. But he is not so honest, trust me. In fact, before Amir and Aesha were born, we used to run a flying carpet scam, where he would pretend to be…" I began to delve into the memory, before Amir nudged me and Bentley interrupted.

"Kind of pressed for time, here." Bentley said. I narrowed my eyes in annoyance.

"Ugh, fine. Please continue." I said and allowed the turtle to continue.

"So according to my diagrams, the shop is connected to the tower. There is a vent system on the side of the building. All you and Amir have to do is crawl the vents and it will lead you straight into the shop. From there, you can make your way through the shop's interior to the tower." Bentley explained. Amir nodded in understanding, but I scoffed at the turtle's plan.

"Hmph, you make it sound so easy. I would like to see you crawl through crawlspaces when you are my age!" I snapped. Amir elbowed me in the ribs and shook his head at me.

"Talk to you two inside the shop, good luck." Bentley said and his screen shut off. I rolled my eyes and put the binocucom back in my tail and followed Amir into the shop. As I made my way to the back room. I saw a pole in a basket of snakes.

"I wonder if this 'Bentley' will have me jump through hoops next, son." I said to Amir as he used all that I taught him to climb of the pole like lightening with the snake right behind him. Before the snakes got to him, he grabbed the chandelier chain and jumped onto the ledge at the top. I smiled with pride at how much my children have grown and how they take after me in so many ways, before following him. We made it to the main hall, before the binocucom vibrated again.

"Wait. This room doesn't match my blueprints. It must've been renovated recently. Give me a minute to figure this out." Bentley said frantically. Amir rolled his eyes.

"By Aladdin's Beard, Bentley! Do you not know that rule number 37 in the Thievius Raccoonus is this: Expect the unexpected, Foresee the unforeseen, Predict the unpredictable?!" Amir explained.

"Keep your turbans on guys. My sonar readings show an old passageway through a cave system, beneath the floor. Let's see, mass of payload… angle of incidence… relative humidity divided by 2… Got it! Salim, Amir, if we can drop that pallet of carpets in the corner, it should smash a hole in the floor, straight through to the caverns below." Bentley explained. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"We? It seems that Amir and I will be doing all the hard work!" I snapped at him.

"How about we just talk when we reach the passageway, Pa?" Amir said before Bentley could snap at him. Bentley nodded and disconnected. We made our way past the guards to another snake guarded pole. _Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?!_ We finally made it to the pallet hanging from the ceiling. Amir used his cane to break the rope and sure enough, the floor broke and we made it to the caverns. I would've fallen to my doom if Amir didn't grab my arm and pulled me up onto the ledge.

"If only I had a magic lamp, my son, I would wish for this job to be over and to have your mother back!" I told him.

"If only it was that simple, Father." Amir responded. We looked around and saw several scorpion nests. Bentley told us to take out the nesting mounds to get rid of them. After we took them out, we crawled through another crawlspace. I heard a squish under my paw and shook it in disgust.

"Oh no, I just stuck my hand in…BLEGH!" I groaned.

"Give me a break, Dad. We gotta keep moving!" Amir said with another roll of his eyes. More scorpions nests covered the area and we moved forward.

"Shall we bring you back some scorpions, Bentley? They taste just like chicken." I offered. Bentley groaned in disgust in my ear.

"No thanks! I'm trying to cut back!" He said. After some more climbing, we finally made it to the tower.

"Great job guys, you're in! Now you just need to make your way to the top of the tower." Bentley said. I groaned in annoyance.

"Of course, climbing, my favorite." I said sarcastically. Amir rolled his eyes and looked around.

"I don't see an access point but that lever looks worth investigating. Just be careful not to stir up the scorpion nests in here." Bentley said. Amir covered me by taking out all of the scorpions while I cranked the lever, raising a pole up to the ceiling. We both climbed up to the ledge to see a few guards with lights looking around. I sneaked around them when they fell asleep. I stopped and watched them with envy, wishing I could join them and sleep. Amir grabbed my scruff and pulled me forward. I had to use my lightning climb on some chains. They were very weak and broke easily. Amir used a crank to extend a wooden cobra's tongue to walk on. Finally, after more climbing, we finally reached my brother. He was on a pile of pillows and his head was swaying side to side to some of the strangest music I've ever heard

"Your friend is in some kind of hypnotic trance. The strange sonic frequence modulations emitted by that device are causing it. I've seen this type of thing once before on a mission in Prague. But this is on a whole new level. Mind control by music, it's genius! Err… well, evil genius." Bentley said as I approached the Panther.

"Then all hope is lost!" I said while shaking my head in sorrow.

"No, we just need to disable the device before freeing him. But we have to proceed carefully, or we risk turning his brain into jelly!" Bentley explained.

"What is this 'Jelly'?" Amir and I asked at the same time as my head swayed side to side along with Panther's.

"It's like Baba Gonoush or hummus, but fruity." He explained as I shook my head and backed away in disgust with Amir.

"EWWWW!" we said at the same time and flinched away.

"Exactly, Amir you still have that second device I gave you?" Bentley asked. Amir searched his tail and pulled out what looked like a small box.

"Yes, I have it right here." He said.

"Great, look for a green tank and place the device on top of it, so I can get a closer look at that thing and shut it down!" Bentley said. Amir did as he was told and moments later, the music stopped and Panther's head dropped and his eyes closed. Amir and I got close to him. I lifted his head to make him look at me.

"My brother, are you alright?" I asked.

"Uncle Panther?" Amir followed behind me.

"Ohhhh, my head. Where am I?" Panther asked as he looked around.

"You have been imprisoned, hypnotized, and forced to create forgeries for that evil elephant. But we have freed you from her mesmerizing music, with some assistance." Amir explained.

"That's nice, nephew. I'm hungry, did you bring me anything to eat. Maybe some nice roasted scorpion tails? Maybe some Camel Milk?" He asked. I rolled my eyes in annoyance as Amir helped him down.

"Amazing! I climb halfway to the stars to rescue you, and you expect Camel Milk! Why do I even bother, my son?" I complained. Amir chuckled and placed his arm around my shoulder.

"Because he's family, Father!" Amir said. I smiled at him as we made our way out of the tower, when we got closer to the hideout, I felt a tingling sensation in my heart. I stopped and grabbed my chest. Amir looked at me with worry.

"Dad, are you alright?" He asked. I nodded, before the binocucom vibrated again. We both reached out to Bentley to see what he wanted this time.

"Guys! I've just intercepted a message from Decibel. She's given Salira a false order from Le Paradox. Decibel told her that Le Paradox wants her to hunt you down and steal your cane, Salim and Sly's cane as well. SHE'S OUT IN THE OPEN. The tracker I have on her shows that she's in the city, looking for you. I'm sending her location to your binocucoms. Sly and Murray will meet you there. You'll need their help to get her back." Bentley said before he disconnected. I looked over at Amir and saw that he has tears in his eyes. I pulled him into a hug.

"Don't worry my son, I will get your mother back, I swear to Allah!" I assured him. He nodded and went back to the hideout. I took a deep breath and went into the city. I looked around for a moment before a whistle reached my ears. I looked up and saw Sly signaling over to me. I climbed to the rooftops to meet up with him. His back was turned and he was frozen. I walked up beside him and followed his gaze. There she was, my darling Salira was walking around passed the guards. She looked like she was looking for something. She turned and I saw her eyes. They were an sickening green color instead of her sapphire blue eyes; proving that she really was hypnotized. She was wearing a strange necklace around her neck. I can see that she's weakened immensely. She was literally fur and bones. Sly and I growled at the mistreatment of our beloved Leopard. Our binocucoms vibrated and we both pulled them out.

"Ok guys, using the tracker I have on Salira, I was able find the source to her hypnosis. That collar around neck is emitting the same music that controlled the Panther in a frequency that only she can hear. If we can get that collar off of her, then she'll be free." Bentley explained.

"Salira's young again, Bentley. Even though she's underfed, she is sure to put up a fight. We wouldn't be able to get near her, let alone touch her." Sly explained.

"And that is where Murray comes in. Sly, you and Salim will need to lure Salira to the hideout. Murray will sneak up on her and hold her down when she arrives. It will be up to you to pry that collar off her neck. It's time for a game of Sly and Carmelita." Bentley explained.

"I get it, since she was "ordered" to steal mine and Salim's canes, she'll be after us. If we get her to chase us, then we can lure her to Murray." Sly said.

"Exactly! Good luck, she is bound to put up a fight. Just bring her back to us." Bentley begged before he disconnected. Sly took a deep breath and then looked at me.

"Let's do this!" He said before he jumped down. I watched from the rooftops as Sly did the one thing that annoyed Salira the most: he pulled her tail. She hissed and turned around and smirked at Sly as she pulled out her sword.

* * *

(Sly POV)

"Sly Cooper! I've been looking all over for you! You have something that I need." She said.

"Listen Salira, you need to snap out of this. This isn't you. Le Paradox is controlling you into only thinking that you love him, but you don't. You're already married and have 2 amazing children. You need to break free." Sly said as they circled around each other.

"Don't you dare try to trick me! My darling Cyrille would never lie to me. I love him and he loves me! He wants your cane and your ancestor's cane. I will get them, even if I have to kill you to get them!" She growled out. I had to swallow the vomit in my mouth at her words before I smirked at her, before beginning my favorite game.

"If you want my cane, Kitty, catch me if you can!" I said before I scrammed out of there. I heard Salira growl loudly in rage at her hated nickname before she began to chase me.

"GET BACK HERE RINGTAIL, ERR, COOPER!" She shouted behind me. I smiled as she remembered my nickname. My sister was still in there, she just needed to break free. I quickly led her back to the hideout and contacted Murray.

"Murray, Salira's hot on my tail! Are you ready?" I asked.

"The Murray was born ready! I'll hold on to her while you pry that thing off her neck." Murray said.

"The collar has two clasps. Release them and that collar should fall off." Bentley said in my ear. I looked behind me and saw that Salira caught up.

"Right, here she comes. Go for it Murray!" I said as I jumped on to the roof. Salira stopped and looked around. Without her noticing, Murray snuck up behind her and wrapped her tightly in his arms.

"LET GO OF ME!" She shouted as she struggled to get free.

"NOW'S YOUR CHANCE SLY! YOU NEED TO HURRY, I CAN'T HOLD ONTO HER FOR LONG!" Murray shouted to me. I nodded and rushed over to her. Avoiding her swipes, I reached out to her neck and was able to release one of the clasps before she broke out of Murray's clutches and knocked us both down.

"You'll pay for that!" She growled and then jumped out of sight.

"Sly, she's headed back to the palace! You have to stop her before she reaches it, or we will never get her back!" Bentley said frantically. I nodded and followed her. I called Salim as I found her in front of the palace. This time, Salim jumped down with me and caught her attention. She remained frozen as she stared at Salim.

"My darling, please come back to me. Your children need you, I need you. Please come home." Salim begged. For a moment, I saw her eyes flash to her blue eyes before they quickly went back to the green color they were; then she snarled at him.

"I am home, Cooper!" She shouted before she threw the sword at us. We quickly dodged it and then ran off with her following.

"GIVE ME THOSE CANES, COOPERS!" She shouted behind us.

"HERE SHE COMES MURRAY!" I called to Murray.

"GOT HER!" Murray shouted as he grabbed her again.

"ARGGH! GET YOUR FILTHY PAWS OFF ME!" She yelled out as she continued to struggle, but Murray had a stronger hold her and wasn't letting go.

"DO IT NOW, GUYS!" Bentley shouted. Salim rushed up and instead of fiddling with the clasp, he grabbed the collar and yanked it off with a shout. He had the collar in his hand and he threw it into the ocean. Salira slouched over in Murray's arms. Salim grabbed her and laid her in the shade in front of the hideout. I rushed over and landed on my knees beside her.

"Salira?" I asked and grabbed her paw. Moments later, I felt her paw tighten in mine as a groan left her lips.

"Ugh, my head!" Salira said as she grabbed her head and opened her eyes.

"My darling, are you alright?" Salim asked. She instantly looked up at Salim and smiled lovingly.

"Salim, is that you?" she asked as she reached up and stroked his cheek with her paw. Salim smiled at her and covered her paw with his own on his cheek.

"I'm here, my love. And look who else is here?" He said as he looked over at me. She turned her head and gasped as her eyes landed right on me. Salim helped her stand up and she remained frozen on her feet.

"Sly?" She whispered as tears grew in her eyes. I smiled and nodded my head. She smiled and threw herself at me. I instantly wrapped my arms around her, happy to have my sister back with me.

"Oh Sly, I've missed you so much!" She cried, soaking my shirt but I could care less. I had my sister in my arms and I wasn't letting her go anytime soon.

"I thought I lost you, Salira. I'm so glad you're safe." I whispered in her hair as I tightened my arms around her as she purred in joy, fearing she would disappear in an instant. After a little while I finally pulled away to look at her closely. At least until…

"KITTY!" Murray shouted before picking her up in his large arms and pulled her in a bone breaking hug.

"Murray?! I'm glad to see you too!" She groaned out, patting his back. I laughed as I saw a bluish hue seeping through her white fur.

"Ok big guy, you're suffocating her." I said. Murray placed her on the ground. Only to see everyone else rush out of the hideout shouting in joy.

"MAMA!"

"MOTHER!"

"AMIGA!"

"SALIRA!"

The twins crashed into their mother, sending all 3 of them to the ground. I smiled and watched as they hugged the life out of her with joy. They helped her up and she was passed to everyone else.

"Salira, I'm so glad you're alright!" Carmelita said softly as they hugged. When they pulled away, Bentley threw himself out of his wheelchair and into Salira's arms.

"We were so worried about you, Salira! We thought we lost you!" He exclaimed. Salira sobbed quietly as she placed Bentley back in his chair.

"Oh guys, I thought I would never see you again!" She said softly as she snuggled back into Salim's arms.

"What happened to me? I remember waking up to see that I was young again, but then everything went blank after that." She asked. I scratched the back of my neck as Salim tightened his arm around her waist with a soft growl.

"Decibel and Le Paradox hypnotized you and the other thieves. He made you think that you were in love with him and Decibel wanted to get rid of you to have Le Paradox for herself." I explained. She turned green and pulled away to empty out her stomach. She had nothing inside so it was all stomach acid.

"I hoped that was only a horrible nightmare. That's disgusting!" She exclaimed in disgust. We all agreed.

"Don't worry, Salira. You're free from that little weasel and we won't let him get to you again!" I swore to her. She smiled and we all gathered around her in one big group hug. We all felt and heard her purring as we showed our love for her Our moment was interrupted by a loud rumbling stomach. We pulled away to see Salira holding her stomach and blushing.

"Sorry guys, I'm starving! I feel like I haven't eaten in months!" She exclaimed.

"That's probably because you haven't. While spying on Decibel and Le Paradox, we discovered that she's so jealous of you that she was just gonna let you starve to death." Bentley explained.

"Why would she be jealous?" She asked.

"Because Le Paradox was showing affections to you and not her." I finished. She groaned in disgust as Salim pulled her close.

"Well she can have him. Le Paradox can drop dead for all I care!" She crossed her arms, only for her stomach to growl louder and Murray's stomach to join in. We all laughed as we all made our way back to the hideout for dinner, happy to have our favorite leopard back with us. Our family was whole once again and no one can tear us apart again, not even Le Paradox.

* * *

 _Praise Allah! They rescued Salira! What will happen when Le Paradox finds out about Decibel's disobedience? And will Sly and the Gang rescue the other thieves while protecting Salira, or will Le Paradox steal her back? Stay tuned to find out. I will work on the next chapter when I can._

 _Farewell!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Ah Salam and good day my fine readers. I have returned from a long hold with another chapter for you. I am terribly sorry for the long wait. I lost my job again in June, then took a vacation to Alabama for 2 weeks. Then I started studying online for an IT certification and job hunting at the same time. So things have been crazy but finally started to lighten up. I am working again so I will try to update more often._

 _Sanzaru is the proud owner of Sly Cooper and all of the known characters and game scenes. I only take credit for Salira and the twins and the scenes before the actual game began._

 _Read, Review, Enjoy!_

* * *

(Murray POV)

I was so glad to have my favorite kitty back! Her daughter was good fun to mess with but she scratched me when I called her "Kitty" unlike her mom. Salira was too weak to cook dinner so Carmelita did it for her. While we all ate, Sly and Bentley explained to Salira what was going on. When they told her that Le Paradox was wiping out Cooper history by stealing the canes, and needless to say, I've never seen a more furious cat in my life. I thought I was the angriest when Contessa had me under that stupid trance, but that was child's play when compared to the rage Salira was under.

"THAT NO GOOD SKUNK! I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH HIM! NEXT TIME I SEE HIM, I AM GOING TO SLASH THAT TAIL OF HIS OFF AND STUFF IT DOWN HIS THROAT!" She raged on while growling loudly, her tail swaying furiously behind her. She hissed when Carmelita tried to console her, keeping her distracted while Sly and Salim scratched behind both of her ears, calming her instantly as Aesha and Amir hugged her tightly. Soon after, she was purring and calmed down. She apologized to Carmelita who waved it off, knowing how she was feeling. Salim escorted Salira to their room so she can rest while we find a way to rescue the remaining thieves. Sly, Amir, Salim, and I gathered around Bentley while the girls stayed behind to watch over Salira while she slept.

"Ok guys, now that we've gotten Salira back, we need to focus on rescuing the remaining thieves: The Lion and the Tiger. According to the map Sly got from Ms. Decibel, the closest target would be the Tiger. He's being held in the Taxi Shop not far from here. I've managed to get the blueprints to the shop, but it looks to easy. Sly, Murray and Amir, I'm sending you guys to rescue The Tiger, once you find him, I should have a plan to rescue The Lion." Bentley explained. We all nodded and got ready.

"You ready for this Uncle Murray?" Amir asked. I raised an eyebrow at the title.

"Uncle?" I asked. Aesha came out beside Amir and smiled.

"Of course! Mama told us all about your adventures and how she saw you and Uncle Bentley as family. She said that you're our Godfathers and Aunt Carmelita is our Godmother!" She explained. Tears came to my eyes as I grabbed them both in my arms and lifted them up.

"Shucks! You're making The Murray blush and cry! If your mom wasn't sleeping, then I'd hug the life out of her again!" I gushed as I put them down. Bentley rolled up to them and held his arms out and they kneeled to hug him.

"Did I just hear that I was a Godmother?!" I heard Carmelita exclaim as she came from the bedroom. The twins smiled at her and nodded as Carmelita wrapped them both in a hug as she too had tears in her eyes.

"Amir, let's get going and rescue your other uncles!" Sly said. Amir nodded and pulled away from Carmelita and we all headed out.

The Taxi Shop was not far. I had to bash some heads as they saw us, but no problem for "The Murray"! We made it to the front of the shop when Bentley rang in on my Binocucom.

"Ok Murray, the thief known as 'The Tiger' is being held inside that taxi shop. My data shows the interior is small, but well-reinforced. Also, there don't appear to be any guards inside at the moment. I think this one is pretty straightforward. You, Sly and Amir go in through the front door. After that, your muscle should be enough to handle this situation." Bentley explained.

"No problem, Bentley! My mighty biceps are itchin' to go to work!" I exclaimed before we went inside. Sure enough, The Tiger was right across the gap full of spinning gears and spikes.

"Wow! He's right there! This is going to easier than taking pizza from a baby!" I exclaimed.

"Why would you give pizza to a baby? What's pizza anyway?" Amir asked, confused while scratching his head.

"I'll tell you later Amir! And I think you mean candy, Buddy!" Sly said.

"Oh yeah, I love candy!" I said as we all slid arcoss the gap on a small ledge.

"I think we need to be careful here, guys! Something seems off." Sly said, looking worried. I must have stepped on something, because the ledge flipped up and a bottle flew into the air. Amir would've fallen if Sly didn't catch him. The bottle landed on a sculpted camel's hand which caused it to move over and look like the camel was picking his nose! Before I could laugh though, the wall behind us flipped open. Without even thinking about it, I grabbed onto Sly's tail, causing us all to fall through, screaming. Just my luck, I got stuck in a small hole at the bottom of the tunnel.

"UNCLE MURRAY, LOOK OUT!" I heard Amir shout before he kicked me in the butt, causing me to fly out of there. Sly and Amir bounced on my stomach and landed off the cliff on the other side of the roped fence.

"That was AWESOME!" I shouted. "Right Sly? Uh guys? Amir? Where are you buddies?" I asked while looking around for them.

"Were over here, Murray." Sly shouted up to me. I walked over to the ledge to see Sly and Amir brushing themselves off.

"Say guys, where are we?" I asked looking down at them. Amir gasped and looked around.

"Hey I know this place! This used to be Mom and Dad's treasure trove! But it looks like the guards have made themselves at home!" Amir said and ended with a growl while glaring at the guards.

"Then you know how we can get out of here?" Sly asked. Amir nodded.

"I haven't been here since I was a kid, but I think I remember the way. We'll have to work together." Amir explained.

"SLY, MURRAY, AMIR, ARE YOU THERE!" I heard a broken voice coming through my ear thingy. Sly pulled out his binocucom to talk to Bentley. It looked like he was having trouble. I looked up over the wall while he was trying to talk to Bentley. Sly sighed and put the Binocucom down from his eyes.

"Guys, I don't think I can get over this wall." I said sadly.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. And we seem to have lost the binocucom link with Bentley. Don't worry, with Amir here to lead the way, we'll just keep moving forward and we should be able to get out of here." Sly said as he trailed behind Amir.

"Hey guys, I see some kind of weird switch up here. I'm going to give it a try." I said to them.

"Go for it, Uncle Murray! We're kind of stuck here anyway." I heard Amir say. I moved toward a rusty wheel. Using my awesome strength, I was able to turn that wheel. As I turned it, a large platform rose out of the water, allowing me to jump over the large gap.

"YES! The Murray's strength knows no bounds!" I shouted as I made it to the other side. My celebration ended when a bunch of spinning wooden bladed crossed my path. I knew I couldn't punch my way through so I called to the guys.

"Sly, Amir! There's some kind of whirly-blade gizmo in my way. If I come any closer it's gonna turn me into a hippo burger!" I shouted to them.

"Ok Uncle Murray, let's see if Uncle Sly and I can do something on our end!" I heard Amir say. I sat down on the ground and pulled out a cupcake for a snack while I waited.

* * *

(Sly POV)

When Murray spun that wheel, a platform came out of the water, allowing me and Amir to walk on it to get to the other side. There was a guard there, and mine and Amir's Cooper Sense told us that the guard had some loot in his pocket. Amir beat me to the chase and stole a pearl earring, worth $100, and then crept back over to me. I smiled with pride, he was definitely a Cooper. Salira raised him well. We decided not to waste our time with the guards so we climbed the rope and snuck above them, stupid idiots! I jumped on to the lever and the door opened. Amir made it through and I used my slow motion technique to slow down time and follow behind him.

"Great job Uncle Sly!" Amir said. I clapped him on the back with a smile and moved forward. Ahead of us was a swiftly flowing river.

"Amir, you'll have to keep up with me. I'm going to slow down the river but it won't last long." I explained. Amir nodded at me.

"Not gonna be a problem Uncle Sly, Mother taught me how to be light on my feet." He said. I chuckled with a smile and activated my slow motion ability. I looked behind me only to see Amir land on an exploding barrel. Just before it went off, I hooked him around the neck and pulled him onto the shore.

"Rule #1 Amir: Watch where you're going!" I lectured him with my arms crossed and my foot thumping on the floor. I'm definitely playing my part as an uncle and boy does it feel good. Amir scratched the back of his head sheepishly like I do. I chuckled and pushed him forward. I jumped up to the lever to open the door. Amir went through and then I slowed down time. But just before I could go through, the door slammed down and I ran right into it, WHAM!

"Uncle Sly! Are you ok?" I heard Amir yell on the other side. I tried again but this time it didn't work.

"I'm fine Amir, but I'm having a little trouble here. I can't seem to slow down time again." I shouted back to him. I was concerned. If I couldn't slow down time, then it's probably impossible for me to get out of here.

"I have an idea, jump back onto the lever!" He shouted. I was confused as to what he was thinking but did as he said. I looked down to see Amir with his paws touching his temples as he was focusing really hard on something.

"Amir, what are you…" I began until suddenly, I felt a wave of magic whirl right through me. I looked around in awe; AMIR SLOWED DOWN TIME! To test it out, I jumped down and rushed through the door. I looked at him in shock as he released his temples and crouched down to catch his breath. I bent down beside him and smiled with pride as I clapped him on the back.

"I did it! I've been trying to get that right for so long! Wait until I tell Mother and Father!" He exclaimed with a smile. I gazed at him with so much pride.

"They'll definitely be proud of you, nephew. But we gotta keep going, Murray is still waiting on us." I said as I helped him up. He nodded and we pressed on. Another river flowed in our path, and it was easier for Amir to slow it down this time. By the time we made it to the other side, Amir was exhausted.

"Alright Amir, I think you've done enough of that! I should be able to handle it from here." I said and Amir nodded in agreement as he tried to regain his energy. I tried to climb the chain to the lever but it must've been so old that it crumbled to dust. Curiously, another one rolled down. Realizing that I needed more time, I was able to use my ability again and quickly climbed the chain to open the door. Amir went through and I quickly followed. Amir took out his cane and it transformed into a sword and he used it to destroy the gears. _I hope that helps Murray out!_ As if to answer my thought, I heard Murray shout from above us in excitement!

"GREAT! TIME TO INFLICT MY FISTS ON THAT TRAP!"

* * *

(Murray POV)

Just after finishing my sixth pizza slice, I saw the blades stop spinning.

"Great! Time to inflict my fists on that trap!" I shouted before I started punching my way through all of these wooden blades. I looked down to see some floating platforms to jump onto. Without thinking about it, I instantly jumped down, only for a bunch of sharks to start surrounding me.

"Forget it sharks! The Murray is not on the menu!" I growled out to them as I jumped away from the sharks before the platforms could sink due to my hulking and mighty form! As I moved forward, I saw another gear surrounded by guards. _Hmm, that wheel might help out Sly and Amir!_ I rushed forward and bashed every head of the guards that I saw. Some of them sprayed me in the face with some nasty smelling gas, but I held my breath and gave a smackdown to each and every one of them.

"Oh yeah, The Murray is undefeated once again!" I shouted before I moved to the wheel. Once I grabbed the wheel, the sound of cannons going off reached my ears. I turned to see dozens of cannon balls headed my way.

"Uh oh! I better take out those cannons first!" I exclaimed to myself and rushed over to a nearby turret. Using my awesome shooting skills, I was able to take out every cannon and destroyed the fort while I was at it. I rushed back over to the wheel only to see Sly and Amir on the other side. I waved at them and then turned the wheel, raising a sunken ship out of the water.

"Way to go, Big Guy! Amir and I will meet you on the other side!" Sly shouted to me before we all moved forward. Unfortunately, my path ended at another trap.

"Aw Nuts! Another one of those annoying spinny-things! I'll have to wait for Sly and Amir!" I grumbled to myself before sitting down to have another snack or two while I waited.

* * *

(Sly POV

After Murray raised the ship out of the water, Amir and I continued forward. We had to slow down time to cross a river before we got blown to smithereens. We made it across and slid down an old mast only to land in the most amazing place I've ever seen. The area was just chock full of gold and treasure, my inner thief was just itching to get its paws on the treasure. Amir exclaimed that this was his parents' treasure trove. Just as I was reaching forward, my binocucom vibrated in my tail.

"Sly, come in! Over!" Bentley shouted through his screen.

"Uncle Bentley! Nice of you to join us!" Amir said and I chuckled at him as Bentley shook his head in amusement.

"Very funny, Amir! Are you guys and Murray alright? Something knocked out communications. Did you take a fall?" Bentley asked.

"Sort of, it's a long story. But are you seeing what I'm seeing?!" I exclaimed looking around in awe and excitement, just itching to get my hands on all this.

"Wow! What is this place?" Bentley asked.

"This is my parents' treasure trove! I haven't been here since I was a kid!" Amir explained.

"This is amazing!" Bentley said.

"Sure is, I can't wait to…" I began while reaching towards the treasure before Amir hooked me around the neck and yanked me back with a glare and a shake of the head.

"Too bad you can't touch it!" Bentley finished. I was rubbing my neck and froze when I heard that.

"Wait, WHAT?!" I shouted in disbelief.

"Sorry Uncle Sly, but Bentley is right. Those guards will wake up if you touch anything! We can't risk it. You need to leave this treasure alone, besides this belongs to my parents; they were planning on storing it in the Cooper Vault." Amir said. I looked at the treasure with a sad sigh.

"Ok, so how are we going to get through here then?" I asked. Amir and Bentley facepalmed.

"Use Salim's outfit!"

"Use Father's outfit!" They shouted at the same time before Bentley hung up. I rolled my eyes and changed into the outfit. We snuck past the guards and sneaked around a display pedestal holding a golden chalice.

"Sly, Amir, that priceless treasure is Sinbad's Legendary Goblet. History tells us that recovered by your ancestor/descendant: Henrietta 'One-Eyed' Cooper, the famous female pirate; but not until the year 1616. Taking it now Sly, could cause any number of anomalies to the time continuum and the Cooper timeline. You might even prevent yourself from becoming a thief!" Bentley explained as we both slowed down time and got passed every stupid guard. I shuddered at the thought of never becoming a thief, it was who I am and I am never changing that.

"Point taken!" I said as we moved forward. We finally made it to another moving gear.

"Time to break out the sword, Uncle Sly." Amir said. I nodded and slashed right through the gear like it was paper.

"Murray should be good to go!" I exclaimed.

* * *

(Murray POV)

"AWESOME GUYS!" I shouted when the blades stopped spinning. After punching my way through the blades, more guards came at me. It was no problem for "The Murray"! After no time at all, I approached the wheel. But before I could even touch it, more cannons started firing at me.

"Aw man! Guess I should take those cannons out first! I'll teach those chumps how to really use a cannon!" I exclaimed to myself. Jumping onto the turret, I began firing at all the cannons. This one was trickier because it overheated faster so I had to let it rest. I got hit a few times but was able to take them all out. I finally got to the wheel and turned it, bringing another sunken ship out of the water. This one punched a hole in the ceiling. I hope it was to that little guy we needed to rescue. Happy with my victory, I started to do my victory dance.

"Murray, you never cease to amaze me!" I heard Bentley say.

"ALRIGHT!" I shouted before I found my way out of this cool place with Bentley's help.

* * *

(Sly POV)

Amir and I had to wait a little while until I saw a ship rise out of the water and punch a hole in the ceiling. Looking up, I could see the little thief in the opening.

"There he is, Uncle Sly!" Amir shouted while pointing up there.

"I see him!" I said.

"Sly, you and Amir should have a direct path at this point. We need to move fast after all the commotion. You two get to The Tiger and I'll find Murray a route out of these caverns." Bentley explained in our ears. We nodded and pressed on. We had to jump onto platforms next to bombs. I used my ability to slow down time so we weren't in the blast range.

"Uh guys, that ship looks very unstable!" Bentley exclaimed. I nodded and stopped on a platform looking at the ship not realizing the platform was sinking. Amir hooked me around the neck again and pulled me to him.

"Easy, Uncle Sly! You don't want to be shark bait!" Amir said. I nodded and kept going. Suddenly the ship started to sink quickly.

"GUYS YOU NEED TO GET MOVING, THAT SHIP IS STARTING TO SINK!" Bentley yelled in my ear, almost making me go deaf. I had to slow down time, in order for us to climb up before the ship sunk. Amir was able to use his time slowing ability a few times to help out. With some great teamwork, we were able to burst through the floor and reach The Tiger.

"Nice job, Buddy!" I said as I held my paw up for a high five. Amir just looked at it, not knowing what I was doing. I laughed and explained it to him and then he gave me a five. I clapped him on the back and we slowly approached the thief.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked.

"Uncle Bentley says that elephant is hypnotizing them." Amir explained.

"Man, this guy looks like Murray that time he won the burrito eating contest…that's a bad memory" I said as I shook my head, wanting to get that out of my head. Amir looked confused so I mouthed to him "I'll tell you and your sister later".

"Ugh! I couldn't ride in the van for months! The smell alone made Salira really sick for 2 weeks! Although this is reminding me more of the time Murray was being brainwashed by the Contessa. However, this machine is using some kind of music to adjust his brainwaves and control his behavior. It's fascinating…in a completely obscene bad guy kind of way of course." Bentley explained. I approached the thief and tried to gain his attention, by waving my paw in his face and snapping my fingers at him.

"I wouldn't mind having one of these to control Murray's appetite!" I said.

"According to my readings, it's too risky to just disconnect him. He might never come out of the trance. I need you guys to examine the device so I can hack it and shut it down. Amir, do the same thing I had you do with your Uncle Panther. Place that control panel on top of the device. And when I shut it down, it's best that you don't tell The Tiger who Sly is. It could mess up time!" Bentley explained and then warned Amir.

"I understand, Uncle Bentley." Amir said before he walked up to the device and slammed the control panel on top of it. We waited and let Bentley do his thing, until moments later, the device shut down. The music stopped playing and we heard a groan coming from The Tiger. Amir rushed over to comfort him.

"Ohhh, my head is like a dust devil! Nephew, am I glad to see you! But who is this?" He said while looking at Amir and glanced over at me.

"Relax Uncle Tiger, he's a friend of Mother's and Father's" Amir explained and I nodded in agreement.

"Ah your father Salim. Did he bring anything for me? LIKE ALL THE MONEY HE OWES ME FOR BETTING ON THE CAMEL RACES!" he began and finished shouting in anger and slapping his hands together.

"Uh, sorry. You'll have to take it up with him. And I bet if you let Salira know, she'll get all of it out of him for you." I explained.

"Ah, Salira! Such a jewel! WAIT! Did you get her away from that skunk?! Where is she? Is she safe?!" The Tiger started throwing out his questions frantically.

"Don't worry, she's ok. She's back with Salim and my gang at your old hideout. If you follow me, I can take you to her." I explained trying to keep him calm.

"Oh I most certainly will!" he said before I helped him down. Amir carried The Tiger on his back as we made our way back to the hideout. When we got there, Salira was awake and snuggling with Salim. As soon he saw her, The Tiger jumped down from Amir's back and rushed over to her and hugged her as if his life depended on it.

"Salira, I'm so glad you are alright!" he whimpered out while snuggling into her body. I chuckled when Salim growled lowly at the sight.

"I'm alright Tiger. I'm glad to see you're free as well. I knew I could count on them!" Salira said while smiling with gratitude at me and Amir.

"I did it Mother, I finally slowed down time!" Amir exclaimed in excitement. Salira gasped in shock and rushed over to pull her son into her arms.

"I'm proud of you son!" Salim said while patting him on the back as Aesha rushed out to hug her brother.

"Salim, just the guy I wanted to see. YOU STILL OWE ME ALL THE MONEY FROM THE CAMEL RACES!" He shouted, causing Salira to growl and glare at her husband.

"SALIM AL KUPAR! You told me you paid him back ages ago!" She snapped at him while backing him up to a wall.

"Now, now, my darling; I may have forgotten, eh, every time he reminded me." He groaned out. She sighed in frustration and rubbed the bridge of her snout.

"You will go to the Trove right now and bring back every single coin you owe him!" She demanded and pointed to the back of the hideout. I was confused, I thought the trove was in the taxi shop.

"But Darling, that treasure is for our… er as you wish my dear." He started before Salira flashed out her claws at him and then he flinched and finished and slumped away. She smirked as she put her claws away.

"Heh, works every time!" She said with a smirk on her face. I laughed and approached her.

"You haven't changed a bit, sis. Still just as scary as ever. But your trove is at the Taxi Shop." I said while wrapping an arm around my sister.

"That's the main entrance. Salim and I dug a tunnel from here for faster access. Please tell me you didn't take anything, Sly?! Like Salim was trying to say, that treasure is for our children and retirement. The rest is going into the vault when the time comes." She said while putting her paws on her hips. I chuckled and backed away with my paws where she could see them.

"Believe me Sis, I wanted to, but couldn't. There were guards there sleeping on the treasure and if I touched any of it, they would've woken up." I explained. She narrowed her eyes and growled.

"Well, looks like Salim and I have some cleaning up to do before going into retirement!" She snarled out. Salim returned moments later, and unwillingly gave The Tiger a huge satchel of gold. The Tiger hugged Salira and the twins one last time before leaving. Bentley called Salira over to talk to her after that while Aesha walked off with Carmelita. Salira had this shocked look on her face and was shaking her head in disagreement. The two of them argued for a while before she smacked him on the head and stormed off to her room. Salim shrugged his shoulders at me, not knowing what the heck that was about. Bentley then sighed and rolled over to us and instructed us to follow him outside to the nearby palm tree.

"Bentley, what did you say to Salira that upset her so much?" I asked him.

"I'll tell you later, Sly. But now to the matter at hand. Guys, this is going to get dicey. Security has definitely been beefed up since we rescued the other thieves. Those turrets are too well-protected to attack directly. Ordinarily I'd hack the security system, but that will take some time and we need to hurry. There's no telling when Decibel will move The Lion again. This may be our only chance!" Bentley explained. Salim and I nodded in agreement… well I nodded in agreement while Salim was nodding off.

"So what are you thinking, Bentley?" I asked.

"I think we need to use some smoke and mirrors… eh, minus the mirrors." He said. Now I was confused.

"Meaning?" I asked. He then pulled out the RC Chopper.

"I'll use the RC chopper to drop smoke bombs at strategic points, which should keep the turrets from seeing you. Then, since Salim knows this city like the back of his hand, he can guide you to a secure location." I nodded, but Salim yawned and stretched after looking at the back of his hand.

"Hopefully, he had his nap today!" I jabbed at Salim as he stretched out his body. Bentley shook his head.

"Just make sure you get to a safe spot before the smoke clears. Otherwise, you're going to be missile bait." He said before rolling away to control the chopper. It didn't take too long until the area was full of smoke.

"Ok Sly, it's all you." Bentley said, giving us the all clear. We went ahead with Salim leading the way.

"Follow me closely, and don't fall behind." Salim advised.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be right on your tail." I answered. And on his tail I was until we came to a clear area. We waited until the area was smoked again and then we moved forward.

"Age before beauty." I said. But being a Cooper, he had to open his mouth, just like I would.

"no no no, you mean wisdom before youth." Salim jabbed back.

"WOULD YOU TWO GET GOING?!" Bentley snapped at us frustrated. I shrugged as I followed Salim.

"Just waiting on the wise guy, Bentley." I explained. We then had to stop again while Bentley smoked up the area. I shook Salim awake as he decided to take a nap while we waited.

"This is it guys! The Lion's just ahead!" Bentley exclaimed through his chopper. We finally made it to the Lion's location. I put on my Arabian thief outfit and decided to be a smartass. Thankfully Salira wasn't there to pop me on the back of the head for it.

"Open Sesame!" I commanded. But of course, nothing happened. Salim rolled his eyes at me.

"That outfit makes you a better thief, Sly, not a genie. Now why don't you help me with this door?" He said as he started to lift the door up. I changed back and helped him. As we walked in, I decided to try again.

"Close sesame!" Then the door automatically closed at my command. I smirked at him and he shrugged.

"Heh, so you got lucky." I was about to answer until I sniffed the air and started to wipe my eyes.

"PHEW! The stench in here is making my eyes water! I feel sorry for your friend. That Decibel is really cruel." I said as I plugged my nose while trying not to puke. But Salim didn't seem to care.

"I'm afraid that might be the Lion's socks. He always hated doing laundry. Salira was always the one doing the laundry until the children were born." He explained. I nodded. It made sense.

"Oh…well maybe she was just protecting her sense of smell." I said as I moved closer to the machine controlling the Lion. I hooked Bentley up to the machine so he could hack it. In no time, the music stopped and the Lion regained consciousness. Salim stepped in front of the lion.

"Oh, I had a terrible nightmare. I was being charmed like a snake, and could not break free." The Lion said.

"That was no nightmare, my friend." Salim explained. The Lion then faced Salim.

"Salim! You, Salira, and the twins were in my dream too. You all brought me many delicious snacks." He exclaimed dreamily. I rolled my eyes at them.

"What is with you guys and all the food?" I asked. The Lion narrowed his eyes at me.

"Salim, who is this insolent pup?" He asked. I felt insulted at what he called me.

"Do not worry about him. He's a friend who helped rescue you. In fact, he is…my assistant." Salim explained. Now I was getting mad.

"Assistant? What are you talking about?!" I snapped at him, just about ready to bash him with my cane, old ancestor be damned.

"Psst, Sly! Play along. It's better if less people know what's going on." Bentley warned. I sighed and agreed.

"Great, it's going to be a long day!" I groaned out. Salim smirked evilly as he walked past me.

"Just wait until Salira hears this!" Salim snickered as I paled at the thought. She'll never let me live it down. But before I could say anything else, Salim scrammed out of there and back to the hideout, with me right on his tail.

* * *

 _Well there you have it, ladies and gentleman. I hope that this chapter was worth the wait. I am so very sorry for taking so long, and I hope that I don't take that long again but who knows. I will try to post again this weekend, but no guarantees. I truly appreciate all of you lovely readers and love all of the reviews you give me. Farewell until next time!_


	10. Chapter 10

_Salam and good day my fine readers! This chapter has been a long time coming. I am soooo sorry for taking so long. I've been focusing on my job and also had a writer's block. But I have worked very hard on this one and I hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much for all of your reviews and for reaching out to check on me! It means a lot to have such loyal readers such as yourselves._

 _I am not the owner of Sly Cooper or any of the known characters or game scenes. Sanzaru stole that right from me! I only own the lovely Salira and her adorable twins._

 _Read review, enjoy!_

* * *

(Bentley POV)

Finally, my creation is complete. Carrying the finished statue in my hands along with some urns for the next job. I went to find Salim, only to have him snoring on the bed with Salira looking down at him with a smile while shaking her head. She must've heard me come in, because she turned to glare at me and placed her paws on her hips. Ever since I gave her a task, one she did not like one bit, she's been mad at me. I'm surprised that Carmelita hasn't hunted me down yet, but I knew it was only a matter of time before she found out what I had planned.

"What is it, Bentley?" Salira whispered harshly. I scratched the back of my head as I rolled forward.

"Um, I will need Salim's help for this next job. So can you wake him up, and tell him to meet me in the front room?" I asked.

"Fine." She answered.

"And also, have you finished your disguise for Carmelita?" I asked sheepishly. Suddenly, Salira started growling at me.

"For someone so smart, you can sometimes be really dumb, Bentley! Do you honestly think that I would allow Carmelita to do something like this alone. YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR MIND!" She finished with a shout, scaring Salim awake.

"I know I should've thought this through, Salira, but…" I began before she interrupted.

"But nothing, Bentley! Carmelita is my sister of sorts! I'm not letting her do this alone! That's why I've made two disguises." Salira snapped at me as Salim finally rose from the bed and wrapped his arms around his wife to soothe her. It took a few moments for me to realize what exactly she meant, and when I did, my eyes widened.

"You mean to say that…" I began but didn't finish. To confirm my theory, she nodded her head and pulled away from Salim.

"I'm sure as hell not going to allow Aesha to do this with Carmelita!" She said sarcastically with a roll of the eyes.

"But Salira…" I began but paused as she growled at me again before turning to Salim.

"Be a dear and go with Bentley. He needs your help with a job." She said as she wrapped her arms around his waist, while he copied her.

"Of course my darling, plus you look like you need some space from him." He said while kissing her cheek, making her purr in delight. He pulled himself away from her and followed me out. Then he asked the very question I was dreading.

"What have you done to make my wife so annoyed at you?" he asked while putting his paws on his hips.

"Uhhh… Let's just focus on the mission. You'll find out soon enough." I brushed away as I led him to the tower in front of the library.

"Ok Salim, I've disabled the security system in the village, but Ms. Decibel has retreated to her private office above the library. We need to get in there so we can plant a bug and find out what's going on. However, my schematics show the building is heavily secured and it appears someone with your climbing expertise will be able to get inside and let me in. I'd ask Salira but two reasons why I didn't: 1) she's infuriated with me at the present time and 2) it's too risky to have her out in the open. Decibel could really hurt her if she's caught. So it's up to you to get inside and let me in." I explained from the ground through the BUC while in hiding. Salim looked really confused on the screen.

"I do not understand. How will putting an insect in there tell us anything? At most it will just annoy her!" He snapped. I facepalmed before I explained to him what I was planning.

"No, not that kind of bug! This is a small device that can transmit sound, so we can listen to her conversations." I explained to him as he looked at my screen with wonder.

"Ooh, does it also bite?" he asks, curiously. I rolled my eyes, though he couldn't see with my glasses covering them.

"Look, don't worry about the bug. Right now I need you to find a way into that study so you let me in. I'll take over from there." I explained.

"Alright Bentley, I will find a way inside while you play with your bug!" He snapped and then hung up. His cranky attitude was really getting on my nerves. It didn't take long for Salim to open the door to the library for me and I made my way in. The sounds of classical music filled my ears as I made my way to Salim's side with the bugged statue of Le Paradox and tossed it to him. I almost laughed when he almost dropped it.

"Ok Salim, I need you to plant that bug in Ms. Decibel's office, but first we need to get her out of there. I've reprogrammed those transmitters she was using on your friends and Salira with some new music. Once you place them around the room and I activate them, she's going to come running." I explained with a smirk on my face, excited about what I have planned for the elephant as I handed the transmitters to Salim.

"How do you know this?" Salim asked, confused.

"Because, she happens to be a music snob! And I'm about to give her a dose of something she can't stand; good ole Rock n' Roll!" I said while playing an air guitar.

"I do not care for rocks and rolling either!" He said. I rolled my eyes at him. Salira would've laughed her head off. I'm surprised she didn't introduce her husband to her favorite music type.

"No, it's… never mind. Just get those transmitters in place!" I said, shooing Salim away while I used my thiefnet to purchase remote bombs that detonate on my command.

* * *

(Salim POV)

 _Didn't Salira tell me about this rock and roll music?_ I thought as I made my way through the area placing Bentley's toys around the room. Of course I had to do more climbing to get to where I needed to go.

"First bugs, now transmitters! Why do I have to carry all of these things? Do I look like a camel?!" I asked rhetorically as I climbed up the chain like lightning before it crumbled. I floated down to the ground on Carpet. He's always kept beside me and Salira. He's gotten so ancient now he could only glide down instead of fly like he used to. _All this climbing is going to turn me into a monkey!_

"Oh how I wish I was younger like my darling!" I said as I placed my first toy in it's place. I was so exhausted and wanted a nap so badly. The only thing that kept me awake was all that loud noise.

"What is that racket?! She calls that music?!" I asked.

"Salira absolutely can't stand classic music! If she was here, she would throw a tomato right in Decibel's face." Bentley explained. I smiled in agreement as I placed the second transmitter on it's pedestal. My darling is as feisty as the leopard she is. I made my way underneath the wall and had to do more climbing.

"Ugh! Why could my skill be climbing? Why not sleeping?!" I asked rhetorically. I froze in my step when a dainty giggle that I know all so well reached my ears. I looked around to find the source of that sweet sound only to feel something snatch the last transmitter off of my back and knock me off balance and onto my stomach. I gathered myself only to be staring at my darling wife, who had that Panthera smirk on her face and had the transmitter in her hands.

"When it comes to you, dear, sleeping is a skill all on its own!" She exclaimed before lending a paw to help me up.

"What are you doing here, my darling?! If that evil elephant sees you…" I began before she placed her fingers on my lips.

"I heard all of your complaining and moaning through our bond and I'm pretty sure Bentley is tired of it. So I'm here to help out." She said, before she contacted Bentley.

"Bentley, come in!" She sounded off.

"SALIRA! What are you doing here?! It's too dangerous for you to be here!" Bentley exclaimed in my ears, causing them to ring.

"I've heard it before Bentley. Look, I'm here to help. Send a signal to my BUC so I can place this transmitter in it's rightful spot. Salim and I will meet with you shortly afterwards." She explained with her paws on her hips.

"Alright then, transmitting signal now!" He said back. Salira nodded and looked through her BUC.

"Got it! See you soon, Bentley." She said before moving like the graceful bird she was. It was less than five minutes before she grabbed my paw and we made our way back to that annoying turtle.

"Great job guys! Salira, I really am sorry about…" Bentley began before Salira held up a paw.

"It's in the past Bentley, next time please take it up with me when a plan requires a 'woman's touch'." She said. Bentley smiled and nodded. "Now, what's the plan here Bentley?" She asked.

"Well, I think you're gonna like this one, Salira. Now that you and Salim placed those transmitters around Decibel, I need to go around and activate them. Once I've activated, instead of hearing her classical music, she's going to be dancing to a different tune; something that she can't stand!" Bentley said with a chuckle.

"Ooh, let me guess; my favorite: Rock n' Roll!" Salira exclaimed with a sinister look on her face.

"Yep, now Salira, I would appreciate it if you could come with me so we could discuss some things about the heist and also to cover me. Salira nodded, kissed my cheek and left with the turtle.

* * *

(Salira POV)

Bentley placed a bomb on the wall and we both got out of the way. Immediately after its destruction, scorpions came out after us.

"Scorpions?! Get back you pests!" Bentley exclaimed before rolling away. Sly told me about their time in the Old West and I guess being attacked by giant scorpions really spooked him. Nevertheless, I took out all the scorpion nests as we made our way through the library.

"Now Bentley, what is it that you needed to talk to me about the heist, I'm assuming that it's about mine and Carmelita's part." I said. Bentley nodded.

"Yeah, we need to make sure that you and Carmelita can keep them distracted while we work on the door. Does Carmelita even know how to belly dance?" He asked.

"She didn't before, but after you told me about it, I had Aesha teach her the dance I do for Salim every now and then. Those bozos won't be able to resist!" I explained. Sure enough, Bentley groaned in disgust, causing me to giggle.

"TMI, Salira. But that's good. I'm just worried that with you there, the guards will notice and grab you!" Bentley said. I rolled my eyes at him.

"These guards are dumber than a sack of bricks. I made my outfit and the guards won't know the difference." I said confidently even though I was still annoyed that I have to do this, and I know that Carmelita would not like it one bit. The transmitters were still out of reach for Bentley to shoot at them.

"Salira, I can't get to those transmitters. I need you to take my BUC and shoot at them using the button on the side." He said while handing the BUC to me. I nodded and jumped to the chain. Suddenly, before I even began to climb, the chain crumbled to dust and I began to fall down to the pit below me. Luckily, Bentley grabbed my using his metal arms and pulled me back.

"Whew, thanks Bentley! Either I need to go on a diet, or these chains are really old!" I said, causing Bentley to chuckle.

"Salira, you're perfect the way you are! You don't need a diet! Maybe there's a way to speed up your climbing. Didn't Salim teach you the speed climb technique?" he asked. I facepalmed myself.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that?!" I said. Sure enough, when the chain rolled down, I grabbed it and used Salim's technique to climb up and get off before it crumbled. Using Bentley's BUC, I shot the transmitter right on target.

"Bullseye! Great job Salira, but how are you going to get down?" He shouted at me. I smirked at him.

"Leave that to me, Bentley." I said before I whistled loudly. Minutes later, my good friend glided to me and I jumped on and glided down to Bentley, who was gaping at me.

"Is that a…" He began but never finished. I laughed and closed his mouth for him.

"Yes, Bentley. Meet my good friend, Carpet." I said while introducing Carpet, who bowed to Bentley, before rolling up and disappearing on my back.

"That's amazing, Salira. I thought magic carpets were a myth." Bentley exclaimed as we made our way to the second transmitter.

"Nope, Carpet's been Salim's friend for years, but then Salim gave it to me as a wedding gift. Follows me everywhere." I said with a smile as we moved on. Bentley explained that the next one was across the room. The only problem was that there were barricades blocking our path. Bentley pushed me to a stack of books while he placed a bomb on the first platform and rushed back over to me when it exploded. That elephant paused her music and went to her balcony and looked around.

"WHAT WAS THAT NOISE?!" She exclaimed as she looked around. Not seeing anything she shrugged and went back to her desk.

"Must be this drafty building!" She whined before she turned her music on. With the coast clear, I grabbed a bomb from Bentley and tossed it onto the second platform.

"Right on the button, Salira!" He exclaimed before I rushed back to the wall of books. I turned to see Salim passed out on the floor. I shook my head and ducked for cover after the barricade exploded, catching Decibel's attention again.

"I DEFINITELY HEARD SOMETHING!" She screeched out and looked around. Seeing nothing she went back to her desk.

"My ears must be playing tricks on me!" She exclaimed and then turned that boring music on again. This time Bentley threw the final bomb and ran back over to me, just before it exploded.

"Cyrille? Cyrille, is that you?" Decibel asked while looking around. I just about puked hearing that.

"I wish Cyrille, would hurry back! I certainly hope he doesn't find out about the wretched fur ball escaping. What does he see in her anyway? What does she have that I don't?!" She growled out while walking back to her desk. I raised my eyebrow at her jealousy. Bentley snickered before I smacked him on the back of his head before running off to the final transmitter.

"Be careful Salira, Decibel is right there!" He whispered/shouted to me. I nodded before jumping my way past Decibel into the hallway. I climbed up on top of a tower of books and shot the final transmitter. Nodding at my success, I ran back to Bentley and shook Salim awake.

"Great job, guys. Now to activate those transmitters and get this party started." Bentley exclaimed with an evil smirk on his face while working on his wheelchair computer. Moments later, Rock n' Roll music began to play over Decibel's music. Bentley and I were jamming to the music while Salim covered his ears and shook his head. I laughed until I heard Decibel slamming her fists on her desk.

"My goodness! That awful screeching! It can't be, ROCK N' ROLL!" She then left her desk and started stomping around with her hands covering her ears.

"ARRRRRRRRGH! MUST DESTROY!" While she was stomping around complaining about the music, she was causing the whole building to shake.

"Darling, you better shake a leg and plant that bug! Just make sure she doesn't turn you into toe jam." I said. Salim nodded and rushed off.

"HORRENDOUS HOGWASH!" I heard Decibel shout.

"BY THE DESERT WINDS! SHE'S MAKING THE GROUND SHAKE LIKE AN EARTHQUAKE!" Salim shouted.

"JUST KEEP MOVING SALIM!" Bentley shouted. Salim finally made it to the desk.

"Great job, Salim. She'll never suspect there is a bug in that statue of her boyfriend!" Bentley exclaimed. Salim finally made his way back and pulled me into his arms as we made our escape. We made our way back to the hideout. I sighed in annoyance as I went back to my room to finish my outfit for mine and Carmelita's job. When I arrived, I saw my daughter teaching Carmelita how dance our way.

"Carmelita, you are most certainly a lady of grace!" I said with a smile while applauding.

" _Gracias!_ It is a bit fun but it feels ridiculous shaking my body like that. I get why you enjoy it. I just hope that I don't have to dance like that anytime soon. By the way, I saw the outfits you're making. Not my style but they're really good." Carmelita said while sitting on the bed. I flinched without Carmelita noticing. She's NOT going to like this. I was putting on the finishing touches of Carmelita's outfit, when Sly and Salim called out to me.

"SALIRA, GET OUT HERE!" I heard them shout. I handed Carmelita's outfit to Aesha and went out to the main room.

"What's going on?" I asked. Sly and Salim had this look of fear on their faces.

"Le Paradox is at the library, talking to Decibel. And… well just listen." Bentley explained. We all huddled around Bentley's speakers and listened to whatever was going on between the dirty skunk and that horrible elephant.

"Bonjour, mon amis. I've come to check the status of the plan." Le Paradox said.

"Oh, hello Cyrille. Such a splendid surprise for you to come to see me!" Decibel said in a flirtatious voice that made me vomit in my mouth.

"Yes, yes, tell me; how are the documents coming?" Le Paradox asked.

"Oh, uh. Yes the documents, they nearly completed. Why you should have them by sunset tonight!" We heard Decibel startle.

"I see, and as for the Leopard; is she being well cared for?" Le Paradox asked. I shivered when he mentioned me in disgust. Salim then wrapped me in his arms.

"Oh, of course. I am personally making sure she is well provided for." Decibel startled in fear.

"Really, because I have heard through the grapevine, THAT SHE WAS SEEN WALKING AROUND THE CITY AND THE COOPERS GOT TO HER AND FREED HER!" Le Paradox started sarcastically, and then finished in rage.

"Uh oh!" Bentley said before we hushed him.

"But, but, Cyrille, we don't need her! I saw no reason to keep her around!" Decibel finished with a huff.

"Is that jealousy, I hear in your voice mademoiselle?" He asked with what sounded like a smirk in his voice.

"Jealousy? Why should I be jealous of that feline menace! I just think she was causing you too much stress!" Decibel tried to reason with Le Paradox. I shook my head, knowing by personal experience that Le Paradox tolerated no excuses.

"THAT IS OF NO CONCERN TO YOU! I STRICTLY ORDERED YOU TO KEEP HER UNDER LOCK AND KEY! The next time I give you instructions, I expect them to be followed. Well Cest' la vie! I'll just have the guards keep on the lookout for her!" We heard before the sound of a slamming door occurred. We all looked at each other in worry before I rushed back to the bedroom. I quickly finished mine and Carmelita's outfits. I inspected them and when I was satisfied I gently placed them in my sack as Aesha and Carmelita followed me out to the main room for another one of Bentley's meetings

"Ok, thanks to that bug in Ms. Decibel's office, we now have all the intel we need. It appears she has been producing Counterfeit documents for Le Paradox, creating a false family history that will make him an esteemed member of royalty in the present day. I've managed to inspect the documentation, and believe me, if we allow him to get away with this, his wealth and power will make him untouchable, I believe he plans on making this his last and greatest caper. The key to stopping him begins with getting through that security door in the Lamp Shop. The door is securely under guard so we need a diversion. I've asked Salira to fashion a disguise for Carmelita, who will use it to lure the guards away by… performing a Belly Dance." He explained sheepishly as he showed a very revealing belly dancer outfit that had Sly drooling. Carmelita's eyes widened in outrage.

"WHAT?!" She exclaimed in outrage. She then glanced over at me as I looked sheepishly at the ground.

"Possibly your best plan ever, Bentley!" Sly said with a smirk. Carmelita was glaring down at Bentley as he was about ten seconds away from crawling into his shell. If looks could kill, then Bentley would be 6 feet under.

"I'm sorry I didn't ask first, Carmelita, but you're the only one who could pull this off!" Bentley explained. Murray then intervened by drawing his face in the picture of the dancing fox.

"Uh Bentley, I could do it!" He volunteered. We all snickered at the thought of Murray squeezing into the outfit, but it was a sight that no one wanted to see.

"I am not getting into that outfit!" Carmelita said firmly while crossing her arms.

"Don't worry Lita, yours is not that revealing!" I explained, trying to subdue her growing rage.

"What do you mean my outfit? You made that sound like you made another one." She asked. "Don't tell me that other outfit is for YOU!" She exclaimed. I nodded my head and everyone gaped at me in shock.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Sly and Salim all shouted at me.

"Did you honestly think that I was going to let my best girlfriend do this on her own?!" I snapped at the two of them, shutting them up.

"There's still no way I am getting into that outfit!" Carmelita snapped. I just laughed at her.

"Lita, that's my outfit! I told you, yours is less revealing!" I exclaimed to her, she sighed in resolve and smiled at me in gratitude.

"I know it's a bit revealing, but think of it as going undercover." Bentley explained, as if his words would make the situation better. HAH! as if! Carmelita and I WILL get him back for this.

"Bentley!" Carmelita and I growled out and then she signed in resolution.

"I'm sure "The Murray" could squeeze into that thing." Murray tried again while drawing his hands to make it look he was wearing the outfit.

"Hey Carmelita, maybe you should model that outfit for me… err us. To make sure it fits." Sly jabbed at her and quickly fixed my mistake.

"Indeed, perhaps we could see the clothing fits you properly, dearest!" Salim said. I rolled my eyes at their perverted thoughts. _MEN!_

"SHUT UP RINGTAIL! We're only doing this for the team" Carmelita said as I handed her outfit to her and we and left to change in privacy.

"Listen, silk is very elastic." Murray tried one last time, but Carmelita and I already took our outfit. I could tell that our men were tempted to follow her, but before they could take a step, I gave them both a glare saying _DON'T YOU DARE!_ They gulped and nodded. I quickly followed Carmelita and changed into my outfit just as she was putting on her facial cover. Carmelita's outfit was a silky deep purple harem girl outfit. Complete with a strapless top that revealed her stomach and harem pants that jingled as she walked. Aesha tied her hair down in golden ties like mine and adorned her wrists with jingling bangles. My outfit was very similar, except my bottom half was a skirt that tied to my waist and revealed my long furry legs. When I first wore an outfit like this was for my wedding party. It was custom for the bride to dance for the groom, showing just what they had just tied themselves to. I felt ridiculous in the outfit, but the way Salim looked at me made the embarrassment worth it. I finished my hair style and tied the face cloth to my face. Carmelita and I both nodded at each other and walked out to the main room. Salim and Sly were the first to notice us and they were both drooling. We rolled our eyes and waited for Bentley.

"Let's move out, we don't have any time to waste!" Bentley said and shut down his computer after shaking Sly and Salim out of their stupor. We all made it to the lamp shop to find some guards thumb wrestling

"Ok ladies, we need you to distract those guards and get them away from that door. Salira, be extra careful, if those guards see through you, it'll be all over! " Carmelita and I nodded, even though I could tell Carmelita was still really pissed off about this job. And Sly wasn't helping out at all.

"Yeah, bust a move, Carmelita" He said with a smirk as he rolled his shoulders like he was dancing. Carmelita just glared at him in annoyance.

"How about I bust your face, Cooper?!" she threw back at him, waving my fist in his face, satisfied to see him flinch. I was proud to see Carmelita keeping Sly on his toes like that.

"We're counting on you, ladies. Meet us inside once you can lose the guards." Bentley explained. We sighed and stood up. Before I could take a step Salim pulled me into his arms and my son and daughter joined in as well.

"Be careful, my darling!" Salim whispered.

"We don't want to lose you mother!" Amir whispered too. Aesha nodded in agreement. I nodded and pulled away, ready to get this over with.

"Bentley, you owe us BIG time for this one!" I said as I jabbed a finger on his helmet and stormed off with Carmelita towards the guards. We made a seductive pose by leaning on one leg, poking out a hip with one paw on it, before calling the guards over.

"Hey you big apes!" I called out. They stopped what they were doing and raked their eyes over our forms. We stopped myself from shivering in disgust before wiggling our fingers, flirtatiously at them.

"Yoo-hoo, over here you dumb knuckle-draggers!" one baboon slapped the other in the face before all of them surrounded us as the music began.

* * *

(Carmelita POV)

 _This is the worst undercover assignment EVER!_ I thought as I moved to the music. I have to admit that I was impressed with myself. I never thought I could dance like this. I was curious as to why Aesha taught how to dance like this but now I am glad she did. I just hope that I am doing as good as Salira is. Judging by the smile that I saw through her face cloth, I can guess that I was. Murray waved at me before working on trying to open the door. All the baboons "ooohed" and nailed their eyes on our hips and tails as we shook them, causing the coins on my harem pants and Salira's skirt to jingle. Then dozens of coins were thrown at our feet as we twirled around.

"That was great!" Salira exclaimed as we continued to entertain the then joined Murray in trying to pry the door open.

 _Thank goodness Interpol will never know about this,_ was all I was thinking as I continued my performance with Salira. When I spun around again, I noticed that a baboon was about to look behind him so Salira called out to him.

"Ok now, don't turn around! Look this way!" she said, raising the pitch in her voice to sound flirtatious and brushed her tail on the baboon's arms. I can't understand how she made this ridiculous seduction look so easy. It worked and the baboon focused on our dancing forms again. Sly then joined the group and climbed on top of Murray after taking a moment to stare at me.

 _Aye! These baboons need a bath! No, two baths!_ I thought as I continued to dance with the filthy smell of the baboons flooding my nose, Salim and the twins were the last to help open the door and I thought to myself with a groan as I continued my performance.

" _Come on! How many Cooper gang members does it take to open a door?!"_ I continued to sway my chest, tail and hips to the music until I saw everyone at the door fall over and the door unlocked and Murray pried the door open. I heard Salim and Sly talking before I saw him lean against the wall, watching us, mainly Salira though. Finally, the music came to an end, but the baboons weren't looking at me, in fact, they were looking at something behind us. We stopped dancing and froze after turning around to see Le Paradox himself standing behind us. After a moment of silence, he began clapping slowly.

"Bravo mademoiselles, that was a marvelous performance. Especially from you mon cheri." He said before grabbing Salira's paw and kissing it.

"Er, thank you sir, we should be going now." She said as she grabbed my arm and began to pull us away. Suddenly all guards surrounded us.

"I don't think so, mademoiselles. I don't think you want to miss all the fun that awaits you, SALIRA PANTHERA!" He finished with a shout as he snatched off Salira's face cloth. She glared at him before fighting off the guards. She was about to grab me to get away before she froze in her step.

"Uh, uh, uh, Amore! We wouldn't want anything to your precious COOPER, now would we?" Le Paradox taunted her while a guard stood with Salim in his grasp.

"DO NOT WORRY ABOUT ME, MY DARLING! TAKE CARMELITA AND GET OUT OF HERE!" Salim shouted before the guard shook him quiet. Salira just stood there with a defeated look on her face. I tried to get close to her but a guard grabbed me and covered my snout.

"Ah, you know what will happen then. Surrender to me, and no harm will come to your precious Cooper!" Le Paradox bartered. I could tell that Salira was arguing with herself but I knew she would give in. She looked over at me. I shook my head at her, telling her no. But she sighed and nodded her head.

"Fine, Cyrille! Release Carmelita and my husband, and I'll go with you." She offered. Le Paradox smirked and then nodded at the guard, who then snatched Salim's cane, handed it to the skunk and then tossed him away. Salira gasped and made to run to Salim, but Le Paradox yanked her back. Then we were both tied up and then everything went black for me.

* * *

(Amir POV)

After we got the door open, Uncle Sly, Aesha, and I were about to go inside, before Father stopped Sly and my sister and I stayed behind.

"Sly, I am thinking I should go no further. I have passed my greatest wisdom on to you and my children. The last of my friends are now retired. And I've had enough of snakes, scorpions, and climbing for 3 lifetimes. Besides, I am thinking someone should watch over Carmelita and Salira, to make sure they are safe." Uncle Sly smiled at our father and placed a paw on his shoulder.

"Alright, Salim. We couldn't have made it this far without you. I think we can take it from here." He said and I nodded before approaching them.

"You've definitely earned your retirement, Papa. Go and enjoy it; and the Belly Dancing. Make sure nothing happens to Mama!" Aesha said to Father as he turned with a smile to face Mother's graceful form.

"Thank you, I will my child. And Amir?" He asked as I was following Sly. I turned to face him only to see an encouraging smile on his face. "Make sure no harm comes to your sister. I am proud of the two of you" He said. I smiled in thanks before he left to watch Aunt Carmelita and Mother. I looked at Sly and he placed a paw on mine and Aesha's shoulders in comfort. I was about to say something until the sound of Murray struggling reached our ears and saw that the door was about to close. We rushed through the door, just before it was about to slam shut on my tail. After we made it inside, we instantly froze at the sight before us. It was a large room that held an enormous mechanical balloon. It was one I have never seen before.

"Whoa!" Uncle Murray said.

"You said it, pal!" Uncle Sly responded just as shocked as the rest of us.

"It's definitely more than I was expecting! An underground docking station for Le Paradox's blimp! No wonder we haven't seen that thing floating around!" Uncle Bentley explained. I suddenly felt fear grasping at my heart, and I looked over to see Aesha grasping at her heart too. Something was not right at all Before I rushed forward, Uncle Sly grabbed my shoulder to stop me and shook his head, telling me to stay with everyone.

"What's our next move, Bentley?" Uncle Sly asked.

"Well first we need something to get those guards away from that computer so I can get to it."

"Please tell me that I don't have to distract the guards like Aunt Carmelita and Mama!" Aesha said exasperatedly. I growled at the thought of my sister showing her body off like mother was doing.

"Your mom would have my head on a silver platter if I even thought of having you do that, Aesha! No, this calls for specialist's equipment. I whipped up a little surprise for Ms. Decibel with the left over material from Carmelita's outfit that Salira had left over, but I think it will work better here."Uncle Bentley explained. For some reason, Uncle Murray got all excited and started jumping up and down while clapping his hands like a little child.

"Finally! Just point me in the direction of the changing room and… what the?!" He exclaimed as Uncle Bentley pulled out a miniature vehicle that looked like a mouse and moved it towards the guards. Moments later the guards chased the mouse straight to the vents and we all laughed as the baboon guard slid his head right into the vent.

"So long, slowpokes!" Uncle Bentley exclaimed while he was controlling the vehicle. After a while, the lasers blocking our path vanished and Uncle Bentley caught his vehicle as it busted through the vents. We all followed Bentley to a rather curious contraption that he called a "control panel". After a few minutes, another laser gate vanished and we all walked through until suddenly an alarm started going off and the laser gate behind us, reappeared.

"What just happened, Bentley?" Uncle Sly asked as some machines turned on and started spraying some foul smelling gas that blocked our path.

"I'm not sure. I must have tripped some kind of fail-safe backup. Hold on a sec!" Uncle Bentley said. Suddenly, dozens of rat troopers glided down to us.

"We cannot wait on Uncle Bentley, Uncle Sly" I explained. Sly nodded.

"You're right Amir, those rat troopers look serious. Murray, pick them up and throw them at the guns! That should destroy them!" he explained. Uncle Murray did as he was told and soon, we finally made it to the room. Suddenly, the ground began to shake as the blimp began to rise to reveal the very bane of my mother's existence, Cyrille Le Paradox, himself!

"Ah the three musketeers and the young street rats. One step behind as usual. May you never change." He said as an insulting greeting. Aesha and I growled at him.

"And may you always stay down wind!" Uncle Sly jabbed back at him while we all plugged our nose from his stench.

"Ah Coopers, you both are so pathetic! You don't even realize that you've already lost!" Le Paradox sneered at us as Uncle Sly and I glared at him.

"We haven't lost yet, Le Paradox!" He said, confidently, as Aesha and I nodded in agreement.

"Oh no? Bonjour my large friend! What took you so long?" He called out waving to Ms. Decibel who was standing behind us with our unconscious father in her grasp.

"Oh drat!" Uncle Bentley face-palmed as Sly and I stared at father's form worriedly.

"SALIM/FATHER/PAPA!" Sly, Aesha and I exclaimed in worry. Decibel's face turned from hatred to adoring as she turned towards the skunk.

"Hello Cyrille, I found this filthy, old scoundrel unconscious outside." She said as she shook father in her hand.

"Actually he's yesterday's trash! Precisely why I threw him away." Le Paradox corrected her and she just looked at him, puzzled.

"But I don't understand, I thought you were after him." She said, wanting more details.

"You're right, you don't understand. I don't care about that old bag of bones, just his cane! Which you can see, I already have!" He said. Both mine and Sly's blood turned cold when we saw him pull out Salim's precious cane.

"Uh oh!" Murray said as Bentley face palmed again and said "Double Drat" and Sly and I just stared at Father's cane in fear for the family.

"Well good, then our deal is complete! I'm coming aboard! Hold that Blimp!" She shouted as she started to move towards the blimp with joy, before Le Paradox paused her.

"So sorry, Cherie. With these Coopers here, I am afraid the schedule has changed, and I must make my exit now! I cannot risk that flea-bitten rat ruining my plans!" He said as the blimp continued to rise again and the roof opened up. Decibel rushed forward and threw Father to the side as she tried to catch Le Paradox.

"Wait, Cyrille! Wait for me!" She shouted. Aesha rushed to Father and laid his head in her lap.

"He's got the cane!" Uncle Murray exclaimed.

"He's got the documents! Sly, Amir if they return to the present day and Le Paradox establishes a royal ancestry for himself, all of our futures are in peril! You've got to stop them!" Uncle Bentley exclaimed in fear.

"How's Salim?" Uncle Sly asked. We all looked down to see Father raise his paw

"I tried…to stop him." he responded before falling unconscious again. I knelt down and checked on him. I sighed relief before standing up and facing Uncle Sly.

"He'll be fine, Uncle. But right now, you must stop that elephant!" I said. Sly nodded.

"I'm on it, like stink on a skunk!" He said before he rushed off after the elephant.

* * *

(Salira POV)

I am standing on the blimp tied up watching as Sly battled Ms. Decibel. The sound of feminine groaning reached my ears and I turned and saw Carmelita coming to.

"Carm!" I shouted out. She turned up at me and her eyes widened.

"Salira! Are you ok? Where are we?!" She exclaimed before she realized where she was and began struggling against the ropes that bound her.

"Struggling is pointless, Mademoiselle! There is no escape for either of you, especially you mon cheri!" Le Paradox said as he approached us and I shivered in disgust as he strokes my cheek. I bit his hand and smirked as he screamed and backed away from me.

"Serves you right! Keep your filthy paws off me!" I shouted. He just laughed and stepped back. His disgusting eyes raked my form.

"You do realize that you are mine!" He said and both mine and Carmelita's eyes widened.

"I belong to no one, least of all you!" I exclaimed. He just laughed came closer to me.

"Oh, I disagree entirely, mi amour! You see, you became mine the day you accepted my proposal! You still belong to me even after you tried to break it off and even though this Interpol shrew inacted a restraining order to keep us apart." He said. I rolled my eyes at his arrogance.

"Dating you and agreeing to marry you was the biggest mistake I've ever made! I will never belong to you!" I growled out as I tried to get away from him. He just laughed as we both growled at him as he went to his seat at the front. I looked below at the fight, fearing for the lives of my brother my children and my husband below.

"It seems this game is over, how boring!" He said as he pushed a button and I saw Ms. Decibel fall off and grab onto a rope. Sly was also gliding down off the blimp. Ms. Decibel clutched the rope for dear life and frantically faced Le Paradox.

"Cyrille, open the hatch! Let me in!" She begged. But Le Paradox was uncaring as usual.

"I don't think so; you see we have already reached maximum capacity. Perhaps due to my beautiful honored guests." He said and gestured to me and Carmelita as we glared, hatefully at him. I could feel the fear rushing through me and looked at Sly and Salim as they gazed fearfully at us.

"CARMELITA!" Sly shouted at the same time Salim shouted "SALIRA!" I even heard my children scream out to me as Le Paradox began fondling me again and I struggled to get away from him. I heard a loud growl from next to me.

"GET YOUR PAWS OFF ME YOU NOXIOUS WINDBAG!" I growled out and Le Paradox flinched away from me, the filthy coward! The lady elephant looked at Le Paradox with hurt in her eyes.

"But we had a deal! I made you the documents and you promised me the last masterpieces: Mozart, Beethoven, ROMANTIC NIGHTS ON THE RIVIERA!" She finished with a shout as she shook the blimp. Le Paradox kept his ears covered before walking to the window.

"Yes well, thank you so much for my papers, but it wouldn't have worked out between us. I'm just not into big noses, plus as you can see, I'm already spoken for. And as for your music; how should I put this, IT STINKS WORSE THAN I DO!" He said before cackling and walked back towards me. His words definitely pissed off the music loving elephant as she glared at him with hate.

"Why you filthy, backstabbing, two-timing scoundrel!" Ms. Decibel insulted Le Paradox as he got closer to me. I tried hopping to get away but he wrapped an arm around my waist and dragged me and Carmelita to the window.

"Ha ha, flattery will get you nowhere! And as for you Coopers, do not think of trying anything, otherwise we will see if these lovely mademoiselles can fly. I don't see any wings, do you?" He asked and I froze as he ran his disgusting hands down my sides, down my legs and ran his disgusting fingers through my tail.

"Touch me again and I'll break both your arms!" I threatened him before him pushed on my nose and did the same to Carmelita, causing us to fall over since our feet were bound.

"SLY!" Carmelita called out at the same time I called to my husband "SALIM!"

"DON'T WORRY GIRLS, THIS ISN'T OVER!" I heard Sly call out to us with a promise.

"WE WILL FIND YOU MOTHER!" I heard my son call out afterwards.

"I don't think so, in fact I believe there is a saying to match this situation: The fat lady, she has sung. AU REVOIR SLY AND SALIM COOPER!" He shouted before picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder.

"NO! LET ME GO! SALIM!" I Struggled in Le Paradox's grasp as I saw Ms. Decibel fall from the blimp. Moments later, I felt a churn in my stomach as we all traveled through the vortex, not knowing our fates.

* * *

(Sly POV)

The blimp took off with Salira and Carmelita held captive in Le Paradox's clutches. We all surrounded Ms. Decibel and she stared horrified at the blimp as it took off. I handed Salim a cork and he stuffed it into her trunk so she couldn't play anymore horrible music. We all went back to the hideout after throwing Decibel in jail, saddened at the loss.

We may have stopped Ms. Decibel, but it meant absolutely nothing. We were on the ropes. Le Paradox had beaten us every step of the way and now held all of the cards: Carmelita, Salira, my ancestors' canes, and now his fake pedigree! I looked at the picture of me, Carmelita and Salira, thinking of how I have let them down. I promised that I would protect Salira before my father died and I failed him AND Salira! I saw Salim and the twins sit beside me feeling the same way. Their mate/mom was taken away from them again, and they felt the same way I did. I couldn't remember a time we've teamed up that we've felt so defeated. Talking to Dimitri didn't help out either. He was freaked out and yelling about having to "boogey down in Skunk Town", so as usual, his words made little sense. But the message was clear, we had to get back home, fast.

"This is not good, guys!" Bentley said. I nodded. Mine, Salim's and the children's resolves cemented. We needed to stop Le Paradox and rescue the women we loved. Salim and the twins wanted to come along, but we needed them to stay here in case something else happened

"We need to get home, now! Our futures and lives depend on it!" I said as I rushed to the van. Murray and Bentley nodded and began loading up. We may have been down, but we definitely weren't out! There was too much writing on this: the lives of everyone we cared about, not to mention the very future of our existence! No matter how, we would make things right! The van took off and as we traveled through time back to Paris, I realized I was in for the fight of our lives.

* * *

 _This is it! The final showdown! Will Sly be lost in time or will he escape?! Find out in the final showdown between Sly Cooper and Cyrille Le Paradox!_

 _I am putting this story on hold for a while. I have some training to do and I am running out of time to finish it. As soon as I finish my training, I will get back to work on finishing the story!_

 _Farewell for Now!_


	11. Chapter 11

_Salam and good day my fine readers. I have returned with the last chapter of the game. I am so sorry for taking so long. I was working hard on an IT Certification that I have achieved and then my internet went down. After I got it up, I started a new shift that makes me work extra late, so lately I have not had the energy to write until now. Thank you so much for your patience and I hope this chapter was worth the wait._

 _Sanzaru is the proud owner of Sly Cooper and all of the known characters and game scenes. I only take credit for Salira, the twins and any other characters and scenes you do not recognize._

 _Read, Review, PM, Enjoy!_

* * *

Sly POV

We finally made it home to Paris, only to find a place we hardly recognized. It was obvious Le Paradox was now in control, since his face covered the city like a bad rash. I rolled my eyes at this guys' ego when I saw his ugly mug on every banner and his humongous head on the Eiffel Tower. The only positive was Bentley was able to dig up a lot of dirt. Including the fact that Le Paradox was from a family of thieves himself. And then, we made a major discovery! I knew that my dad's heist of the world's largest diamond made him a legendary thief, but what I never knew, was that Le Paradox's father was planning to steal it first, and frame MY dad for the crime. Only, he was a little too slow and got himself caught instead. With his father gone, Le Paradox had no one to teach him the family business. And after a string of failed jobs, he wound up in prison too. It was here ironically, when he finally got his criminal education.

And what's even worse, was that Salira's mom, Jasmine Panthera, was friends with Le Paradox's dad, Phillipe, before she met my dad and joined him. As they grew older, Phillipe developed an obsession with Jasmine and wanted her to belong to him. Except, Jasmine only saw him as a friend, and that made Phillipe lose it. He blackmailed Jasmine to join him or else he would report her parents as wanted thieves. The friendship and respect she had for Phillipe instantly turned to hate, but she had no choice. While Phillipe was away, Jasmine managed to sneak out for a breath of fresh air and freedom. That's how she managed to meet my dad, and they were secretly friends long enough for him to help her escape Le Paradox's clutches. Phillipe went in a rage and tried to kidnap Jasmine, but my dad protected her and gave him a good bashing! Phillipe hated my dad ever since and hoped that if my dad got thrown in jail, then Jasmine would have been left out in the open, ripe for the taking. EVEN WHEN HE WAS STILL MARRIED! Thankfully, that failed immensely and landed him in jail.

Anyway, after his release, Le Paradox maintained the image of a law abiding citizen. In reality, he used his prison contacts to form his own syndicate, and began masterminding heists worldwide. These days, he traveled the world as a billionaire art collector, while his real business was the trafficking of priceless stolen treasures. Clearly, he blamed the Coopers for his families past misfortunes. And his plan was to wipe us out completely. And as for Salira, he vowed to avenge his father by forcing Jasmine's daughter to marry him. I had to find a way to stop him, but first, I had to rescue Carmelita and Salira before it was too late!

I would say "home sweet home" now that we made it back, but now was not the time; the woman I love and my sister were in the clutches of that filthy weasel! I had to get them both back, and fast. If I failed, Carmelita would be a goner and Salira would be forced into a marriage that could kill Salim and erase me and my family from history. There was too much on the line and I wasn't going to fail, no sir! I needed to end this once and for all; for the entire Cooper Clan, and that included Salira. As soon as we got back to the hideout, we immediately began cooking up a plan. After a few hours, Bentley called a meeting and starting presenting on his computer.

"Alright, we all know this is our last chance at stopping Le Paradox and rescuing Salira and Carmelita. Currently, his blimp is docked outside the museum. I can't pinpoint the girls' exact positions, but I believe Carmelita being held somewhere near the loading bay. And knowing Le Paradox, he is probably keeping Salira at his side at all times. There's a utility hatch on the blimp's underside that will get you inside. You can use one of the mooring lines to reach it. Once you're in, try to gather as much information as you can. But remember, we'll be right behind you, so don't do anything rash. Murray, I need you to get the van ready. We're going to need backup for this one, so we're going on a recruiting trip. Then we'll rendezvous with Sly inside the blimp and figure out our next move. Ok, I realize it's not the most elaborate plan, but it's the best we've got. So everybody, watch your backs, and let's go take that skunk down, once and for all!" Bentley concluded and then rolled over to help prepare the van. I was standing at the window, gazing at the blimp docked outside the museum. I was terrified for Carmelita, but I was more so for Salira. Le Paradox has wanted her for years and now he has her. Who knows what he's doing to her. One thing I do know is that skunk better pray for mercy when I get my paws on him. The van left without me noticing and I grabbed my cane and headed out to rescue the most important women in my life.

Locating the blimp was easy and so was climbing on. I quickly climbed on the mooring line and made my way through the utility hatch to the loading bay. When I got there, in the center was an unresponsive Carmelita, still tied up and on her knees with her head down and her tail twitching behind her.

"Ok Bentley, I'm in. I see Carmelita, but I don't see Salira." I said. But Bentley responded frantically.

"Just hold on, Sly! We're almost there! You know it's a setup!" Bentley warned me. I nodded. I figured she was set as a trap but I did not care, I had to get her out of here and find Salira.

"I know pal, but I don't have a choice. Just get here as fast as you can!" I said before disconnecting. I then dashed ahead and slid to my knees in front of Carmelita.

"Carmelita!" I said. She jumped into consciousness at the sound of my voice. Her eyes widened in fear at the sight of me.

"SLY NO!" She shouted. Suddenly a cone shaped lid slammed down around us, trapping us as Le Paradox lifted us up with the mechanic claw. And on the same platform with him, was my dear sister, I think. She was standing freely beside Le Paradox with an evil smirk on her face that did not suit her at all. Le Paradox wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. My eyes widened when a loud purr reached my ears. There was absolutely no way my sister would allow that scoundrel to touch her, let alone enjoy his touch. There had to be something wrong with her. Carmelita touched my shoulder and pointed towards Salira. Understanding what she meant, I took a closer look at Salira, and my eyes boiled when I saw ANOTHER COLLAR! To confirm my suspicion, I looked in her eyes, and sure enough, her eyes were clouded over and a pale green. THAT WEASEL HYPNOTIZED HER AGAIN!

"HAHA! Two birds in one trap! I knew you could not resist, Cooper! You are so predictable!" He gloated. Carmelita and I glared at him in fury at all he's done; while Salira remained wrapped in Le Paradox's arms with a smirk on her face.

"Oh yeah? Well how's this for a prediction? I'm going to kick that stripe right off your tail!" I growled out at him. He only laughed and Salira rolled her eyes.

"Yes, yes, and now comes the big threats from the little man. As I said, predictable." He said, acting like he was bored while stroking Salira's hair as she purred loudly at his touch. The sight was making me sick.

"LET US OUT AND LET HER GO! You afraid of a fair fight, coward?!" Carmelita challenged him. Salira only glared at Carmelita and snuggled further in the embrace.

"And what makes you think I want to be let go, Inspector Fox?! As you can see, I am quite happy where I am! Then again, you are in no position to make demands!" She gloated, before to mine and Carmelita's upmost disgust, Le Paradox pulled Salira into a passionate kiss. I turned away with Carmelita and tried to drown out Salira's joyful purr as she wrapped her arms around the skunk and he wrapped his arms around her waist. Le Paradox pulled away and smirked down at us again in triumph.

"No, no, no, I don't think so. I have something special planned for you two. It is, how do you say, a going away party." He said. He then used the machine to take us all away. We turned in time to see Salim, the twins, the gang, and my ancestors arrive and looked at us with worry.

* * *

(Salim POV)

We all arrived just in time to see my darling wife, heir and his love get taken away by the wretch, Le Paradox

"Salira!" I shouted and tried to follow but was stopped by my western ancestor.

"Mother/Mama!" I heard my children scream as Aesha's eyes filled with tears as she watched her mother get further away. I looked back at Bentley and he shook his head in remorse. All of the Coopers, including myself, surrounded Bentley as he came up with a plan to get our canes back.

"Ok, listen up! You all know why you're here. We have to find your canes and get you back where you belong, now! If we don't, we'll never be able to fix the damage Le Paradox has done." We all nodded.

"What about Sly?" Murray asked.

"He's on his own for now. But he'll be alright. It's Sly! And don't worry, guys; Sly will get Salira back, I'm sure of it!" Bentley said, confidently. I nodded but that did nothing to cure my worry for my mate and the mother of my children. I buried my fear as we moved through the blimp to a room with traps.

"Rioichi, you're up first. My readings show your cane is somewhere in this room." Bentley explained. We all looked around until we found the case that held the Ninja Cooper, Rioichi's, cane.

"I can sense it too, Bentley-san" he said before he went up to find his cane. He flew up to spire points and finally reached his cane. Suddenly, an alarm went off and a bunch of rat guards came in.

"Rat troopers at twelve o'clock!" Bentley warned. The twins and I stayed back as Murray and Rioichi defeated the rats with ease. Quickly after the room cleared, the large door opened and we ran through.

"No time for a break, guys. We have to keep moving!" Bentley said as we moved on to the next room.

"There's Bob's cane. Looks like this is all you, Rioichi." Bentley said pointing out to Caveman Cooper's cane. So they called him "Bob".

"Thank you for your help!" He said in whatever language he was speaking.

"It is my pleasure, my most hairy ancestor." Rioichi said before making his move for the cane. It wasn't long before he tossed the cane back down to the owner.

"Great! Wait, Rioichi, I'm picking up an energy field shift, centered on you!" Bentley said working on his machine.

"Yes, I sense it is my time to go. It has been an honor meeting all of you, _Sayonara!"_ Rioichi said and bowed before disappearing back to where he came from. The twins bowed back to him with a smile as he returned to his land. Bentley grew very excited after Rioichi left.

"It's working. The temporal abnormality is correcting itself! Bob we need you to get Salim's cane." Bentley told Bob pointing out my cane.

"No problem. I'll get it as fast as I can!" he said before climbing up to the cane. He tossed it down as I was yawning and stretching, causing the cane to fall into my paw.

"Outstanding, Bob! Looks like you're heading home. Watch out for those penguins!" Bentley said.

"Goodbye everyone! Take care, my brothers!" he said giving his own salute as he vanished and went home. I smiled at the honor I was given by meeting my ancestors and descendants. This will most certainly be a story to tell to mine and Salira's future grandchildren.

"This is going well, but we're not out of the woods yet." Bentley said just as soon as more rats came through the door. This time, Murray and the twins and I fought off the rats.

"We have to keep pushing!" Bentley said as the door opened and we all ran through to the next room.

"Salim, you're the only one who can reach Galleth's cane." Bentley explained pointing out to Sir Galleth's cane

"Forsooth! I would entrust this to no other!" He exclaimed. I just groaned at how much climbing I have to do. I'm getting too old for this!

"Ugh, again with the climbing?!" I complained. My children face palmed and shook their head at me

"Get going, Father! The sooner you get Sir Galleth Cooper's cane, the quicker we can find Mother!" Amir growled at me. I flinched away from him. Never has my son growled at me in such a tone.

"Ugh, forget it brother! I'm on in it!" Aesha snapped before she began climbing up the chain like lightning. Watching my daughter use my techniques made me so proud. It also made me realize that my children are no longer children, they are all grown up and ready to take on the Cooper Legacy. The time has come to pass down the Thievius Raccoonus to them. Aesha made it to the cane, tossed it down to Sir Galleth and glided down to us on Carpet.

"Very nice, Aesha! You're mother will be proud when she hears about this." Bentley said.

"I salute your excellence, Lady Aesha!" Sir Galleth said, giving a kiss on her paw and a smile. Aesha blushed and smiled back at him.

"Ok, now that we got Mr. Cranky Pants' cane, we need to keep pushing!" Bentley said, causing the twins to laugh at the name. I merely rolled my eyes at Bentley and followed everyone to the next room. The room held more traps and at the end of the room, a Cooper Cane was encased. Curiously, it looked like some sort of weapon. I looked over to see a Western Dressed Cooper staring at it with longing. I suppose it's time to get his cane.

"Galleth, we need your skills to get Tennessee's cane." Bentley explained.

"Verily shall it be in thine command, hence and forthwith!" He declared dramatically. Tennessee scratched his head under his hat.

"Uh, you talk funnier than a two-headed jackalope, but thanks amigo!" He said as he took off to retrieve the cane. Sir Galleth reached it quickly and tossed it down to Tennessee, who spun it with joy.

"Truly remarkable, Galleth! This looks like Farewell!" Bentley said as Sir Galleth began to glow.

"Indeed! Once more unto the breach go I! FARE THEE WELL YOU ALL!" He shouted and then vanished back to his home.

"More vermin, dead ahead." Bentley declared. This time, Tennessee, Murray, the twins, and myself battled these rats. In no time at all, we made it through to the next room.

"Those switches are completely out of our reach! Tennessee, this looks like a job for you!" Bentley said. Tennessee smiled with excitement.

"Just what I was hopin' for, Bentley! I've been itchin' to get in on the action too!" He said before he moved forward. Shortly after, we came to a large door that required a code for each level. The clever outlaw was able to shoot all buttons at the same time. The door was blasted open and revealed a dark hallway.

"Nice shooting! Now let's find Sly!" Bentley said as he rolled up to Tennessee and the rest of us followed close behind. He nodded and led the way as we made our way through the hallway, not knowing that my wife and my heir were in grave danger.

* * *

(Carmelita POV)

Sly and I were still trapped in the container as that stinking Le Paradox brought us in front of a large machine with Salira standing by his side with a smirk on her face.

"Ah, alone at last! How cozy!" He said as he hugged Salira close to him. I growled at him, having the nerve to dare touch _mi amiga._

"You want cozy?! I'm going to throw you and all of your friends into the same prison cell!" I snapped back at him.

"Ah, but no! It is the two of you, whom I am thinking! To be together, forever, just like me and my darling here! Just think of it as the most romantic coffin ever!" He said and then laughed. I heard Sly growl beside me.

"Don't count on it, Le Paradox! We've beaten all of your other plans!" Sly growled out as he banged on the glass.

"Ah, but not this time, I think! Look at this, my marvelous contraption: The Time Tunnel! Something else I had your little friend, Penelope develop before her unfortunate failure. It's very much like the time machine, _non_? With one important difference: from here, I have control over where you go. And it's programmed to send you and your Interpol shrew on an endless honeymoon, FREE OF CHARGE; bouncing through time for all eternity, that's if you survive the trip. Either way, I will never have to see your irritating faces again!" He gloated, making me even angrier when he pulled Salira close to him and she draped herself all over him.

"You think this thing can hold me? Just wait until I get out of here!" I shouted at him, banging on the glass as Sly put a paw on my shoulder to keep me calm.

"Why'd you do it, Le Paradox? Why the ancestors? Why not just come after me? What's the deal?" Sly interrogated.

"The deal? The deal is you Coopers? You destroyed my father! And kept him from the woman that was supposed to be his! And you almost got me and kept me from the woman who was supposed to be mine; but not quite! And when I rebuilt myself, I swore to erase the Coopers from history completely and make Salira mine forever! Whether she wants to or not! And so today, my revenge will be complete!" He gloated, not noticing that Salira was looking at him with confusion. Sly then glanced over at Salira with a sad look on his face.

"Salira, please. I know you know this isn't right! You can break free! I have faith in you!" he said with tears in his eyes. I nodded in compliance to his words at Salira.

"Break free? From what?" she asked. I could tell she was getting confused. Suddenly, her eyes started flashing back to the sapphire blue we all know and love. She shook her head and turned away from us. Le Paradox was so focused on his revenge that he wasn't paying attention.

"It is time now for you to go! Bon Voyage! Say goodbye, Mon Cherie!" He said before pushing a button causing the container to move towards the time tunnel.

"SLY?!" I said worriedly. Suddenly a gunshot rang out and the glass broke, freeing me and Sly.

"COOPER, YOU FILTHY VERMIN!" Le Paradox shouted, frustrated as Sly and I landed on the floor.

"HOOWEE! Cut that closer than a ten-dollar shave! Reckon my time here is up!" Tennessee said before disappearing back to his land.

"Take care, Tennessee!" Bentley said.

"Farewell Tennessee!" I heard Aesha say.

"I WILL CRUSH YOU!" Le Paradox snapped before controlling the machine to grab us. Sly and I dodged it, then the claw attacked the time tunnel, causing a terrifying vortex to appear and start sucking everything in.

"NOOOOOOO!" Le Paradox cried frantically and tried using his controls before giving up and escaping with Salira right behind him. Sly and I ran over to the gang.

"Take Carmelita and get off this thing!" Sly demanded. I gasped at the thought of leaving him, thinking that I would lose him.

"We all need to leave right now! That maniac just tore a hole in Time space!" Bentley said frantically as everything was being sucked into the vortex.

"I need to finish this fight here and now, for the whole Cooper Clan. And I'm the only one who can glide out of here! Plus Salira is still under his control. I have to get her back! I'm not losing her again!" Sly insisted.

"This whole blimp could disappear any second!" Bentley said, trying to reason with Sly. But I knew better, there was no reasoning with that stubborn ringtail.

"I know! So there's no time to argue, just go!" He said. I walked up to him, knowing this could possibly be my last chance to tell him my feelings.

"Sly, I… "I started but did not finish but Sly understood.

"I know, me too." Sly stated. Then he shocked me by pulling me into a passionate kiss that made me weak in the knees. I quickly wrapped my arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around my waist as he kissed the life out of me. It was like he was saying goodbye with this kiss. Deep in my heart, I hope not, because I now know that I want to spend the rest of my life with this infuriating ringtail. I pulled away from him looked longingly back in his eyes. The gang and I ran out of the blimp and let Sly beat Le Paradox and rescue Salira.

* * *

(Sly POV)

After Carmelita, Salim, the twins and the gang escaped the blimp, I jumped up on to the machine only to see, Le Paradox with Salira at his side

"Come Cooper, I will teach you to fight like a gentleman!" Le Paradox gloated. Every time I jumped on to his location, they both jumped away.

"And how would you know?" I asked rhetorically as an insult. We came to a flat space and I was pulled into a sword fight. Le Paradox complained about something being wrong with his sword as I smacked him in the face with his cane. After spinning the cane around, Sly smacked him under the chin. He was disoriented and I made my way around him to Salira who was staring at me with confusion. I could clearly see her eyes flashing. But before I could reach her, a bright light blinded me and when it dulled, Salira was back in Le Paradox's clutches.

"What the?!" I exclaimed. I followed the coward whenever he jumped away. This time it was Salira that pulled me into the next duel

"Why don't you just give up, and my love will make it painless for you." He gloated. I growled at him as I dueled him. He was really starting to get on my nerves. Salira got the advantage and knocked me off my feet. She tried to slash me with her sword but I blocked her attack with my cane. I kicked her away from me and quickly got up and continued the fight. My eyes caught the sight of the dastardly collar around her neck and my resolve cemented. I had to get close to her to remove the collar and set her free. And in order to do that, I had to hurt her.

"WHY DON'T YOU COME OVER HERE AND TAKE IT?!" I threatened him. I got the upper hand and knocked the sword out of Salira's paws.

"WHAT?! YOU CHEATED!" Le Paradox whined as I smacked my sister in the head, even if it was breaking my heart to hurt her. She was finally off guard and disoriented. I walked up to her despite Le Paradox growling at me. I hooked the collar with the hook on my cane and yanked it off her neck. She slumped over on my shoulder with a sigh. After a moment, she blinked her eyes and looked at me. I was so relieved to see that they were the beautiful sapphire blue I grew up seeing.

"Sly?" she whispered. I smiled and nodded.

"In the flesh!" I said cockily with a smile. She groaned and shook her head.

"Ugh! Please tell me that this was all a freaking nightmare and that I did not really kiss Le Paradox!" she groaned out. I shook my head with a sad smile.

"I'm afraid not, sis!" I told her. She groaned in disgust while I laughed at her. She glared at me and popped on the head. Our reunion was interrupted by an obnoxious skunk

"DAMN YOU COOPER!" Le Paradox shouted in rage. Salira then turned her glare and Le Paradox shivered at the rage in the leopard's eyes.

"Uh Oh!" He said before scramming away. She growled and chased after the cowardly skunk.

"GET YOUR FILTHY TAIL BACK HERE! WAIT TILL I SINK MY CLAWS INTO YOU!" she screeched she gave chase. I just shook my head in amusement.

"That's my sis!" I said as I followed her.

* * *

(Salim POV)

The gang, Carmelita, my children, and I were watching as the blimp was going down and was in flames. I was terrified and so was Carmelita, though she never showed it. The most important critters of our lives were up there.

"Sly, do you read me? Get out of there, guys!" Bentley tried to reach out to them. Aesha turned into my chest and cried for her mother as Amir stroked her fur.

"Don't worry, sister, Uncle Sly will get mother back! I know he will!" Amir said. But I could tell that he was trying to convince himself as well as his sister. I just turned my head back toward the accursed blimp as it continued to fall apart, praying that I don't lose my darling wife, this time for good.

* * *

(Sly POV)

Salira I slid down the blimp trying to catch up to Le Paradox.

"WHERE IS THAT LITTLE WEASEL?!" she shouted. In the distance, I saw Le Paradox sliding down the blimp to the edge. I smirked when he reached a dead end. _We've gotcha now!_ Le Paradox turned around quickly when we got him cornered

"So before we finish this, let me get this straight; you came after the Coopers and Salira because of what happened to your father?!" I asked shocked at his thinking.

"No you imbecile! I came after the Coopers to prove that Le Paradox is the greatest thief who ever lived. Is there any doubt? Ask yourself this; if the Coopers were really the greatest thieves in history, and I have stolen their most valuable possessions, then what does that make me?" He asked rhetorically. Salira and I looked at each other, flabbergasted by his stupidity.

"Um, an idiot! You had it made! You could've been the biggest thief of all time, but you had to target my ancestors, and my little sister, and blow your own cover! You exposed your operation because of your EGO! No Cooper would've done that! And for the record, can you really say you stole the canes, seems like your friends did all the real work!" I stated, goading him on and making him angry.

"Enjoy your words, Cooper! For they will be your last!" Le Paradox growled out before pulling me in another duel. I got the upper hand again and this time, Salira smacked him to the edge of the pole, causing him to hang on.

"THIS ISN'T RIGHT! MY PLAN WAS PERFECT! AND SALIRA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MINE!" Le Paradox cried out as he held on for dear life. We both looked down at him with a smirk.

"Sorry, you just can't plan for a Cooper!" We said at the same time.

"Or a Panthera!" Salira said, causing me to chuckle as I placed my paw on her shoulder

"Just please, help me!" Le Paradox begged.

"Why should we?" I asked.

"I do not wish to die!" He whimpered out. Salira narrowed her eyes at the sniveling coward as he begged at our feet. I looked at Salira and she shrugged for an answer.

"Well, I guess you can do no harm from a prison cell." I helped him up with my cane. Suddenly, he pulled me forward and snatched the pack that held my glider off of my shoulders and then tried to make a grab for Salira. She growled loudly at him and slashed him across the eye with her claws. He cried out and backed away. When he uncovered his eye, I smirked when I saw a long ugly scar on his face. He glared at Salira and then smirked at me.

"As I said, so predictable!" He said as he laughed. I growled at him Salira tried to move toward him but I grabbed her to stop her.

"You won't get away with this, I'll find you!" I warned him with rage in my voice.

"Au Contraire, Sly Cooper, I do not think we'll meet again." He responded before jumping off and glided away with a laugh. But we had the last laugh as he glided right into a plane and lost my glider. He pulled away from the plane and plummeted down to the earth below. We both gave him a salute before turning to the Vortex.

"What do we do now?" I asked with fear in my voice for the first time in a long time. Salira thought for a moment before she got this glint in her eyes that I did not like.

"Do you trust me, Sly?" she asked. I paused for a moment and then smiled at her.

"With my life!" I said. She smiled and then pushed me off the blimp and jumped after me. I screamed on the way down. Salira grabbed my paw and gave a loud whistle. I closed my eyes tightly only to land on something with a thud. I opened my eyes to see that I was on a MAGIC CARPET?! I looked over at Salira only to see her smiling down at the carpet and stroking its tassels.

"Salira, is this a magic carpet?" I asked. She smiled and laid down on her stomach. I followed her actions and did the same.

"Yep, meet mine and Salim's good friend, Carpet. You might want to hang on tight!" She said as she grabbed on to carpet. I grabbed onto the carpet as it zoomed forward with me screaming and laughing at the same time. Carpet slowed down as our friends and family came into view.

* * *

(Salim POV)

The blimp vanished and we all gasped at the sight, fearing the worst. There was no sign of my darling or my heir. I closed my eyes as tears came to them. That is until…

"PAPA LOOK!" I heard Aesha shout in joy. I looked ahead to see, to my upmost joy, my wife and Sly flying towards us on my friend. They smiled and waved at us with joy. We all cheered for them. They made it! Carpet touched down and I instantly pulled Salira to me. Our twins joined in the hug and Carpet wrapped himself around all of us. I looked ahead to see Carmelita wrapped in Sly's arms. We all pulled away and smiled at our victory. All was well once again. Or so we thought.

"Hey guys! Look who decided to show up!" I heard Murray say. We all turned to see him holding a drenched Le Paradox in his fist like a ragdoll. I heard a loud growl in front of me. I looked down to see Salira glaring at the skunk with intense hatred. We all backed away from her as we all knew she was in predator mode as she crouched down.

"Release him, Murray! Time to play 'Cat and Skunk'!" Murray nodded and dropped the skunk on his tail. He stood up and brushed himself off. He looked around only to pale at the sight of a ferocious Arabian Leopard staring at him like he was her prey. He backed away and then scrammed. Salira stayed still and then pounced on the skunk. Digging her claws into his odorous fur and leaving all kinds of scars on his body. Sly and I had to pull her away from the skunk so she didn't kill him. She stared at him again before she kicked him where the sun did not shine. All of the males, including me and sly covered our area as to protect it from the furious cat. She glanced down at the skunk in paid before something caught her eyes on his belt. It was his magic lamp. She snatched away from the skunk and walked away as the cops dragged Le Paradox to their car. He just stared at Salira with lust and longing but that quickly changed as she hissed at him. He flinched and looked away from the furious cat. We all laughed as we were finally left in peace.

"Hey Mama, all of the other Coopers were sent home instantly. Why aren't we going home, yet?" Aesha asked. She looked deep in thought for a moment and then looked at the magic lamp in her paws.

"Perhaps, there is still one last thing to fix from Le Paradox's mess." She said as she began rubbing the lamp. Smoke surrounded us as a magic genie came out of the lamp with a yawn and a stretch before he bowed before Salira.

"What is your wish, oh mistress?" He asked.

"Genie, will you be able to reverse the wish made by one Cyrille Le Paradox?" She asked with her arms crossed and her tail twitching behind her.

"Ah yes, I thought I recognized you, my previous master wished you to be as young as he is. Yes Mistress I am able to restore you to your proper age." The genie said, causing all of us to smile in relief.

"Genie, I wish to be returned to the age I was before I was captured by Cyrille Le Paradox!" Salira demanded with confidence. The genie bowed with a smile.

"Your wish is my command!" he said and snapped his fingers. We all pulled away from Salira a smoke started to rise around her. Moments later, the smoke disappeared and there stood my darling exactly the way she was before all this trouble. She wore her blue robe with her hair blowing in the wind. She lost a good amount of muscle but still looked well sculpted. The grey stripes returned to her hair as well. She smiled at me as I took her in my arms.

"Now this is more like it!" I whispered against her lips before she pulled me in the rest of the way. I pulled away from her but still kept my arms around her as our children hugged the life out of her.

"So little sis, this is what you really look like?" Sly said. I rolled my eyes, knowing that my Salira was no longer younger than Sly.

"Who are you calling little? I'm older than you now!" She said with a smirk. Sly just chuckled as the siblings hugged each other.

"No matter where you go or how old you get, you will always be my baby sister!" He whispered. I saw tears fall from her eyes and Sly brushed them away. She kissed his cheek and then returned to my side. Suddenly we all began to glow like the Coopers did when their jobs were done.

"It's time!" Salira said with sadness as she looked over at her friends and brother, knowing that this was the last time she would see them again.

"Thank you so much, Sly. You are a true Cooper and have made us all proud!" I said. Sly nodded with tears in his eyes as he didn't take his eyes off of Salira.

"You two have definitely earned your retirement guys!" Bentley said choked up on tears. Murray rushed over and swept Salira into his arms while crying.

"The Murray will miss his favorite Kitty!" He wailed as he hugged her until she started turning blue.

"I'll miss you too big guy!" She said as Sly and Bentley surrounded her. Murray let go of her and she was instantly pulled into Sly's arms.

"I'll never forget you, Salira! I love you so much!" He whispered softly as tears poured out of his eyes. I heard Salira purr softly to comfort Sly.

"I love you too, my brother! Always have, always will!" She whispered back to him, trying to keep from tearing up again. Carmelita was the last to say goodbye to Salira. She hugged her gently and spoke in a language I could not understand. Salira nodded and then walked back over to me and the twins.

"Hey! Amir, Aesha!" Sly shouted. The twins turned to him.

"Take care of your mom for me! And make the Cooper Clan proud!" He shouted with a wink. The twins smiled at him.

"Count on it, Uncle Sly!" They said at the same time. Sly nodded and then looked at Salira for the last time.

"Take care sis!" He said as he waved goodbye. She nodded tearfully as we all jumped back onto Carpet and waved goodbye before we were whisked back to where we belong.

* * *

 _There you have it, my friends! Game over! Sly has survived and prevailed once again! I certainly hope this chapter was worth the wait. I plan on doing an epilogue but it will take some time to write it. Like I said, I am working later than usual now and will not have much energy to write as often, but I will get it out as much as I can._

 _Until Next Time_


	12. Author's Note

Salam and Good Day my fine readers!

I know that it has been a long time since our favorite thieves won the battle and saved Salira from Le Paradox, but some major things have come up lately. I have hit a writer's block trying to find an ending for the story. And I have recently obtained a job working for the Government as a Contractor but they are requiring that I earn an IT Certification in the next several months. This certification training is taking up all of my time, so I haven't been able to post. As soon as I finish the training and pass the test, I will work on finishing the story.

Thank you so much for your patience and loyalty to me and the Cooper Clan!

SSF-18


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